Project to help high schoolers start businesses earns leadership award for UWindsor student

Emilie Cushman, a student at the Odette School of Business, received the 2012 Woman Leader of Tomorrow Award for central Canada from Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship at its regional exposition, March 12 in Toronto.

As the president of the Students in Free Enterprise team at the University of Windsor, Cushman has helped expand her team’s YOUTHrive project, which allows high school students to start and run a micro-business. This year, the project supported 87 students, who have generated a 100 per cent return on investment through their businesses.

Cushman also developed a partnership with the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry – Windsor Program to launch a clinic that will provide refugees with legal, medical, social work and financial services that would otherwise be inaccessible to them.

Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) is a national charitable organization; this award is designed to recognize, celebrate and honour female university and college students – on a regional and national level – who exemplify success and inspire their peers, community and country through entrepreneurial leadership.

Cushman is one of six regional award winners from across Canada who will travel to the 2012 ACE National Exposition taking place in Calgary in May.

“I’m so pleased to have been recognized for this award,” says Cushman. “I am looking forward to meeting many of my peers at the national exposition and continue to become inspired to be a strong woman leader in my community.”

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