Politics & Government

Wakefield Students Get to Pitch with the Pros

Two students get the chance to show off their businesses Friday.

Two Wakefield High School students got the chance Friday to pitch their business ideas in front of some of the leaders of Washington's startup scene.

Steven Luizaga, a senior, and Richard Tan, a junior, attended part of Friday's Pitch for Charity event at Arlington Economic Development with their entrepreneurship teacher, Maureen Naughton.

Once the Pitch for Charity group settled in after lunch, the two students were given a chance to make their pitches.

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Luizaga went first. He said he's accumulated five years of experience with Mac products, and so his business is to customize and fix such products.

He engraved the symbol of his favorite soccer team on the back of his iPhone, for instance. He said he also could fix broken screens and buttons.

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"I'm interested in studying business and owning my own business," Luizaga told Patch. "And I have fun doing it. So, it's not just a business for me."

Up next was Tan, who showed off his Iron Body uniform. The silicon-filled vest and sleeves — which he wore to the event — are designed to help athletes or anyone physically active from injuring themselves.

Tan said he never thought about entrepreneurship until taking Naughton's class.

"I may not know what's going on right now, but I am having fun," he told Patch. "I would like to enhance my business further."

Luizaga placed third and Tan won first place recently in the DC-area NFTE Awards. NFTE (pronounced "nifty") stands for the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.

Donna Harris, managing director of the Startup America Partnership, and Jonathon Perrelli, founding partner at Fortify.vc, told the crowd they would introduce Tan to the founder of Under Armour.

Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Pat Murphy, who attended the event, congratulated each student as they returned to their seats.


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