Students from Berrien and Van Buren counties will share their entrepreneurial ideas with local elected leaders and members of the business community during the fifth Annual Edward Lowe Foundation Young Entrepreneurs & Portfolio Day on Wednesday, May 5.

The event, coordinated by Berrien Regional Education Service Agency and Lake Michigan College and sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation, will showcase student business plans through interactive sessions with experts in the business field.  The event will also allow students to gain insight on how they can take their plans from the classroom to the business world.

The event is the result of the entrepreneurship program offered through Career & Technical Education, a collection of 39 preparatory classes available to students in 14 school districts and two Lake Michigan College campuses.

Thanks to a partnership with Lake Michigan College, students who participate in the entrepreneurship experience will also have the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school. Divided into two levels, students can either participate in a “light model” of the entrepreneurship curriculum or a more extensive experience that provides one college credit for the students.  Students can then continue learning about entrepreneurship through two additional courses offered at Lake Michigan College, for a total of three college credits.

Coinciding with the business plan presentations is Portfolio Day, an opportunity for high schools students to share their accomplishments with portfolio assessors. This review allows students to practice their interview skills and highlight their academic achievements.  For some students, the assessment is a requirement for graduation.

Both the portfolio and business plan events will take place at Lake Michigan College’s Napier Campus located at 2755 East Napier Ave., Benton Harbor.  Assessments will be conducted from 9:30 a.m. to 12:25 p.m., with the lunch presentation commencing at 12:35 p.m. Lunch will be held in the Grand Upton Hall at the Mendel Center.