Rising high school seniors complete week-long Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Camp
COLUMBIA, SC, June 13, 2022 — Benedict College, in partnership with Synovus Bank, will recognize a cohort of rising seniors from area high schools for completing a week-long Synovus Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Camp as part of the College’s Upward Bound program.
Fourteen female students from Airport High School, C.A. Johnson High School, Camden High School, Fairfield Central High School, and W.J. Keenan High School completed the Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Camp. The curriculum focused on topics such as owning a business, planning for a healthy business, and more. During the graduation ceremony, students will receive certificates of completion and present business elevator pitches to Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Leandra Hayes-Burgess, Synovus President and CEO Kevin Blair, and other executives.
Synovus selected Benedict College to kick off its Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Camp across the communities it serves because of its long-standing community partnership with the college. Both organizations are committed to Upward Bound and advancing financial education for youth to prepare them to make informed financial decisions and be successful leaders in their communities.
What: Graduation ceremony for all-female cohort of rising seniors from Airport High School, C.A. Johnson High School, Camden High School, Fairfield Central High School, and W.J. Keenan High School completed Synovus Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Camp in partnership with Benedict College Upward Bound program. Students will receive certificates of completion and present business elevator pitches to Benedict College and Synovus executives.
When: Friday, June 17
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Where: Benedict College Business Development Center
2601 Read Street
Columbia, SC 29204
Speakers: Benedict College Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Leandra Hayes-Burgess, Upward Bound Director Latoya Sumpter and Synovus representatives, including President and CEO Kevin Blair; Executive Vice President and Chief Ethics and Compliance Office Gloria Banks; Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Sharon Goodwine; South Carolina Division CEO Chuck Garnett; Senior Community Development Manager James Chatfield.
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About Benedict College
Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution, offering 25 competitive baccalaureate degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from all 46 counties in South Carolina, 30 states across America, and 26 countries around the world.
Benedict offers several high-demand fields of study in STEM, Cyber Security, Mass Communication, Sport Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, and Education. The College also has a diverse faculty and importantly, 80 percent of courses are taught by full-time faculty.
There are over 18,000 proud Benedict Tigers throughout the nation. Benedict College has been a community leader for over 150-years and is a significant contributor to South Carolina and the region. Contributing $130 million and 1,218 jobs in total local and annual economic impact, a Benedict graduate working full-time throughout his or her working life can expect to earn $1.1 million in additional income because of their Benedict College degree.
The College made front-page news in the spring of 2018 when it became the first South Carolina college to lower its tuition by 26 percent. Cutting tuition drew praise from the Commission on Higher Education, South Carolina’s education oversight body. The commissioner noted that the move Benedict College made should be applauded because it offers families affordability and students greater access to higher education.
Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications.  For example, Benedict College was ranked as one of the top baccalaureate colleges in the nation by Washington Monthly magazine for creating social mobility and producing cutting-edge scholarship and research.  In 2019, Benedict College received the 2019 ACE/ Fidelity Investments Awards for Institutional Transformation and was named the HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest.
Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: The School of Education, Social Work Program, Environmental Health Science Program, Studio Art Program, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
