How the MHHS Business Pathway Prepared Divjot for this National Youth Leadership Forum

In the Introduction to Business and Business Financial Management courses, I was guided and educated by Dr. Kaifi regarding the benefits of using a business mindset whenever making decisions to address business problems. Activities such as differentiating between one’s wants and needs, Shark Tank entrepreneurial pitches, having to decide which car/house to buy based on my earnings, or whether or not it was time to invest in a certain company developed my understanding of the fundamentals of managing finances and investing. The economics and fundamentals of Real-Estate and entrepreneurship were also covered by the lectures from various public speakers, which also provided great insight into the responsibilities of being a business owner and also alerted me to the many common mistakes entrepreneurs make during their journey. The Technical Business Communications courses with Dr. Moquett emphasized the importance of effective communication in a business environment by exploring the applications of business documentation such as memos, formal letters, recommendations, business proposals, policy/procedure, and annual reports. In addition to all of the knowledge gained, the many group projects and presentations I took part in improved my public speaking and presentation skills which are also essential to be successful in a real-life business environment. 

Taking courses in the business pathway was surely a worthwhile investment. As a senior, I would absolutely recommend every student choose the Business Pathway at MHHS."

Divjot’s Experiences at the National Youth Leadership Forum

“The NYLF Business Innovation - 7 Days to Startup program was a memorable experience which I will treasure. In the drive provided at the end, you will find a collection of photos taken during the experience and also its corresponding schedule. 

            During the program, every participant would live in the dorms of the newly founded Pauli Murray College, sometimes with up to 3 roommates. Luckily, I had my entire dorm at my disposal. Every participant was part of a group each named after the last name of a famous entrepreneur. The groups were Bezos, Branson, Buffet, Carter, Disney, Ford, Johnson, Mayer, Musk, Page, Rockefeller, Walker, Walton, Wozniak, Zuckerberg. I was in the Disney group. Each group would have its own classroom in which activities were held.

            During the day, we had multiple business meetings throughout the week in which we discussed business-related topics such as idea generation, customer personas, branding, pricing strategies, and the art of crowdsourcing. 

            After the curriculum for the day was completed, we would then spend time exploring the campus of Yale University and what it had to offer through an extensive tour guided by an alumnus of Yale. He spoke about the history of the university, what programs are offered, famous events which took place, and how he had gotten admission as an English major.

            Many speaking events were also hosted. Most memorable was the lecture given by Bob Gogel, the CEO of Worldstrides, which took place at the New York Marriott Marquis hotel. He spoke about the different stages a company goes through and what is expected of a CEO at each stage. Additionally, he simulated and described the outline of the investment process. He picked many students, some acted as bankers while others were business owners while others were investors. It was then shown how investors and bankers played a role in funding a business venture and how they would be affected by the venture’ success or failure. 

At the end, we had a program-wide “Shark Tank” in which representatives from each group would utilize their skills learned from the business meetings to present their ideas and have them judged by a panel of experienced business owners.” 

Ahmad Belal Kaifi, Ph.D., Ed.D., M.B.A.
Mountain House High School
Business Teacher
Email: [email protected] 

Phone: 209-836-7460