Students attend summer business camp in Williamsport

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Abby Whitlatch in Features // 0 Comments

Summer is a time for teenagers to get a break from schoolwork. Most teenagers hang out with friends, be on their cell phones, swim, and so on. However, a group of teenagers from Southmoreland spent a week of their summer at a business camp.

The Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week, or PFEW, is a camp in Williamsport that takes place over the course of 4 weeks. Each week, over 400 students get grouped into teams 18-20 people and create their own company. They are then split into marketing and financial teams within their groups.

“I was a part of the marketing team,” said junior Kaelei Whitlatch, who attended week 4 of the camp from July 30-August 5. “I had an amazing time making posters for my sneaker company called ‘Heart and Sole.”

The finance teams worked with a fictional business simulator which took place over the course of 3 “years.” They learned how to handle loans, dividends, and spending money and how their spending decisions affect the success of their company.

“It followed economic recessions and booms,” said junior Megan King who attended PFEW July 30-August 5. “We would get either excited or distraught (based on the results), but it gave us an idea about whether our business strategy was effective.”

Another part of the camp is that students get to get a taste of college life. For the week, students lived in a dorm room with someone they never met before.

“My roommate was the best roommate I could’ve ever asked for,” Whitlatch said. “She was so kind, funny, and helpful.”

The goal of the week was for students to prepare for two presentations; one of them being the finance presentation for the “stockholders” and the other for the marketing.

“The presentations were nerve-wracking,” Whitlatch said. “But once they were over, I felt so proud of myself and my team. After they were over, I felt like it didn’t matter if we won any awards or not.”

Senior Alison Huffman was the CEO of her sunglasses company, Helios. She said her team achieved accomplishments at the end of the week.

“We actually got a honorable mention (award) for our work in the marketing,” said Huffman.

Junior Olivia Price went to PFEW from July 1-July 8. She said her favorite part of the experience was meeting new friends.

“Business has never been an interest of mine, but I still had a lot of fun,” Price said. “Being on a college campus with new people makes you realize how different life will be after graduation. But my most favorite part was the friends I made.”

The students of Southmoreland participated in this event had a life changing experience.

“(The people in my group) were so honest and never left anyone out,” said King.

“I met so many amazing people at this camp, and to this day we still talk to each other,” Huffman said. “It was an amazing experience that I definitely recommend for everyone.”

Whitlatch agrees.

“I learned so much at PFEW and made so many friends there,” Whitlatch said. “It brought me out of my comfort zone and gave me an idea of what college will be like. I would give anything to do it all over again.”