Three Windsor Central High School students with hopes of making their mark in the business world participated in the Level Up networking event for high school entrepreneurs on December 16 at the Binghamton Club.

Austin Agati, Amara Keefer, and Brennan Riley joined other local students at the event, which was hosted by the 6-Figure Business Incubator®, a project-based learning curriculum designed to help high school students take their business vision from ideation to execution. According to the group, it empowers students with the necessary knowledge and real-world skills to launch a six-figure business in their teens.

“The speaker gave us an analogy. Drive a Mercedes-Benz before you lease a Mercedes-Benz. Once you feel that luxury, you’re going to work hard to make it and be able to buy a Mercedes-Benz,” said Riley. “He was telling us about business and what to do to be successful. We need to network and market ourselves.”

Riley is off to a good start building his network. He has worked at the Visions Federal Credit Union branch at WCHS and has set up job shadows with people in the company this summer.

“I’m really into investing and the stock market. I’ve talked to a couple of people who work in investing at Visions and I’ll shadow them this summer. It’s a way to get my foot in the door at the company,” said Riley.

Riley plans to eventually earn his Masters of Business Administration from Binghamton University. He wants to be either a wealth management advisor or work in the investment department at Visions.

Agati wants to pursue a career in sales, and hopes to study Business Administration or Finance at SUNY Oswego. He took a clear message from the event. 

“I learned to be myself, not change for people, and build my own future the way I want it to be,” said Agati.

Keefer also embraced the idea of being herself.

“I learned to put myself out there and keep putting myself out there even if I have setbacks. People will get to know the real me, I’ll have more clients, and I’ll grow my business,” said Keefer.

Keefer will get to test her skills sooner than most. She will have enough credits for graduation in January. She plans to spend the spring writing a grant that will allow her to begin her business fostering people with Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

“My great grandmother died at 103 in a home where they treated her not so nicely. I want to give people a chance to be treated the right way,” said Keefer.

Whatever their career goals, the students saw this event as a step along their path.

“I had a blast. It was great. I met a lot of cool people,” said Riley.

“I like meeting people. It was fun. I’m glad I went,” said Agati.