Through hard work and effective time management, five students at NHP have kickstarted their own entrepreneurial endeavors. Ansh Arora, Alex Grant, Leo Loiacono, Teajal Ramdarie and Ethan Wilson are working towards success in their independent ventures during their high school careers.
These driven students have begun pursuits in fields that accurately reflect both their values and their goals to create positive change. These young entrepreneurs set out to fill gaps they noticed in fields they were interested in.
“[For] a lot of the stuff that I liked, nobody was making high-quality music of that type of genre,” junior Ansh Arora said. “So, what I thought was that I could learn to make music myself and just be able to create a sound that people like me, who can’t really find anything that interests them, would be able to relate to and listen to.”
Arora is a music producer for underground rap artists such as OsamaSon, KA$HDAMI and Homixide Gang. He was recently named the Youngest 10x Multiplatinum Record Status Producer at the 2023 Our Generation Music Awards. He was also awarded with the titles of 2024 Certified Published Producer, 2024 Innovative Sound Architect and 2024 Lucid Monday Best Upcoming Producer at the Lucid Monday Publisher Awards.
Ethan Wilson, a junior, is the founder of Enclave Elitewear, a fashion brand that strives to go beyond selling clothes and create a community of fashion enthusiasts. Wilson started his clothing brand with the intention of creating high-quality stylish clothes that are affordable for all consumers.
“The picture I’m trying to paint is a clothing brand that represents a group of people that love exclusive high-end fashion – kind of like a club. It’s about being a part of that club and that community that share that love of the clothing, the craftsmanship, and the design,” Wilson said. “I’m also in the Academy of Finance, a managing class and marketing class. I’m learning the skills and groundwork that I need to be successful in business, which is overall what I want to do.”
The business classes available to students at NHP, such as Financial Literacy, College Accounting, Computer Applications, Sports and Entertainment Marketing and Virtual Enterprise, provide foundational knowledge and skills for the blooming entrepreneurs by informing them about marketing and managing their finances.
“Whether it be financial literacy, accounting, law, or marketing, business classes showcase the many roles an entrepreneur will have to fill as they start their businesses,” business teacher Mr. LoPinto said.
These five students have balanced their business ventures, schoolwork and other extracurriculars through effective time management. Wilson and sophomore Alex Grant attribute their successes to maintaining a schedule that accommodates both their school and work lives.
“I balance school and work by just having a schedule and making sure I complete all my tasks, whether it’s homework or work. I just make sure that I stick to that schedule and have a lot of time to work on all the things I do,” Wilson said.
Alex Grant started his clothing brand Achieve Greatness as a testament to working towards accomplishing big goals. His carefully designed shirts and shorts serve as a reminder to aim high.
“Including school and sports and all that stuff, it’s kind of hard to make designs and be able to get on my computer after I finish my homework. I have to really focus and get everything done, but that’s really all a part of starting my brand. This goes along with why I started: to work hard and succeed,” Grant said.
Many of these students utilize these undertakings as opportunities to prepare for their future careers. As they proceed with these pursuits, they continue to gain skills that will benefit them in their future occupations.
“I want to go into marketing in college, and I’m practicing those marketing skills now with my clothing brand,” Wilson said.
Freshman Teajal Ramdarie is a self-taught nail technician who specializes in GelX manicures. Her goal is to make all her clients feel confident through nail art.
“I would hope to be a nail tech in the future and open my own salon… I’m just practicing doing nails, but hopefully this becomes a bigger thing,” Ramdarie said.
Leo Loiacono, also a freshman, is a YouTuber who makes content related to deconstructing common misconceptions regarding popular games. Once monetized, he will receive proceeds from ad revenue on his public videos.
“Having a YouTube channel corresponds with my future career because it’s all technology related. It’s all about editing and using different software, and I want to go into software development or something related to it. I need to know all different types of software, so it’s really helpful for me,” Loiacono said.
These five young entrepreneurs hope to see their hard work pay off in the coming years. These individuals plan on expanding their endeavors throughout the rest of high school and post-graduation.
“I want to continue to expand my audience on a higher scale, and I’m working towards getting monetized,” Loiacono said.
“I’ll create Enclave Elite Wear as an LLC, and that’s my first goal to achieve. But obviously, I want to see the brand go way farther. I want to be successful, and if that’s in God’s will, it’ll happen,” Wilson said.
