Boonsboro High senior again named county's top entrepreneur
Boonsboro High senior again named county's top entrepreneur
- By Sherry Greenfield sgreenfield@herald-mail.com
- May 26, 2020
Zaccharia Sohrab, a senior at Boonsboro High School, won the Washington County Public Schools Aspiring Entrepreneurs Competition for a second year.
Submitted photo
Zaccharia Sohrab, a senior at Boonsboro High School, is Washington County's top student entrepreneur for a second year.
Zaccharia won the fifth annual Washington County Public Schools Aspiring Entrepreneurs Competition, which was held via video conference last week due to COVID-19.
“It is such a great opportunity for students to dip their toes into the business world and find not just who they are, but their passions and skills as well," stated Zaccharia, in a news release from Washington County Public Schools.
The senior won with his pitch for Edif.AI, an online platform that uses machine learning to provide personalized education and accredited courses to students.
Zaccharia took the top prize last year with his idea Health.AI, an internet service he plans to launch this summer.
The school district partnered with the Washington County Chamber of Commerce to host the competition.
High school students from across the county were invited to come up with an idea for a business. They spent months crafting comprehensive business plans with the help of local mentors. They pitched their products or services to a panel of judges.
Yousuf Qaum and Jeremy Calcarian, both juniors from North Hagerstown High School, took second place with their business, Q&C: Empowering, which focuses on providing opportunities for students to empower themselves and give back to their community.
They pitched a transportation system to overcome a barrier students face in pursuing employment.
Gabby Ryder, a junior at Washington County Technical High School, earned third place with STOP Stigma, a nonprofit geared toward mental health awareness, which serves as a source of education, normalization and connectivity for youth across the county and state.
Scholarships of $1,000, $700 and $300 were provided by CNB Bank, Ewing Oil and the HighRock Group.
Sherry Greenfield covers the Washington County Board of Education and Washington County Public Schools and the town of Smithsburg. She can be reached at 301-791-6235 or by email at sgreenfield@herald-mail.com.
