Honored:Teacher, Alumnae Mean Business at Chelsea High

The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) has honored Chelsea High School (CHS) teacher Catherine Doherty and former CHS student Jennifer LaSala as the student and teacher of the year for New England.

A few years ago, Doherty began teaching an entrepreneurship class at CHS, and it was met with wild enthusiasm from the kids at CHS – many of whom were excited to learn about starting their own business.

One of the first students in Doherty’s class was LaSala, a CHS 2011 graduate. She was able to take her idea from Doherty’s class and turn it into a burgeoning career.

LaSala, now CEO of Sugar Coated Heaven, was honored for such as the New England recipient of  the 2013 Young Entrepreneur of the Year, joining tens of others from across the nation in receiving this prestigious award. In the past two years, Jennifer turned her fledging high school NFTE business idea, Sugar Coated Heaven, into a flourishing business due to open its bakery doors this summer in Providence, where Jennifer attends Johnson & Wales University.

Equally proud is NFTE New England of Doherty, a dedicated NFTE teacher at Chelsea High for three years running, who was honored as the 2013 NFTE Entrepreneurship Teacher of the Year for the New England Region. Doherty has worked hard to extend her students’ learning by bringing a Level 2 class to her school as well as developed new curriculum materials that are used throughout the NFTE organization.

Both LaSala and Doherty were honored at a special award ceremony and had the opportunity to meet NFTE’s young entrepreneurs and teachers from around the globe at a NFTE 25th Anniversary Gala held on April 23rd at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria.

Social entrepreneur and renowned educator, Steve Mariotti, founder of NFTE, was also honored. The event, supported by MasterCard Worldwide and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, recognized 37 outstanding young entrepreneurs from 10 different nations, alongside 25 entrepreneurial educators.  Today, NFTE is an international non-profit organization committed to engaging and inspiring youth in low-income communities around the world to pursue educational opportunities, start their own businesses, and succeed in life.

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