As the lab school of Yeshiva University, Yeshiva University High School for Boys (more familiarly known as MTA) is able to provide its students with incredible and unique opportunities. One such program that is run in partnership with the University’s Business school, the Sy Syms School of Business, is entitled MTA LEAD (Leadership. Entrepreneurship. Advisement. Development) and is now in its second year. The program allows interested business minded students across all grades the opportunity to develop business ideas and to learn by doing.
The program is multi-faceted and is run by an executive council that consists of a selection of parents, alumni, and business school faculty. Dean Michael Strauss, who serves as Assistant to the Provost, Clinical Professor of Management and Entrepreneur-In-Residence at the Syms School and is a member of the MTA LEAD Executive Council, came by the high school earlier in the school year to launch the program and to encourage students to participate. As he did when he launched the program last year, he went so far as to provide his personal information and encouraged students to schedule time to meet with him.
Students with business ideas then had a couple of months to complete an online application that provided them with an initial framework of what to consider when building an idea. Students without a specific idea were also allowed to apply so that they can either join with other students or simply participate in various workshops and lectures that the program offers. Later in the year, students who proposed specific ideas will present that idea “Shark Tank” style to the executive council. The winner will be able to present at the college business competition and will receive an Amazon giftcard. Last year’s winner, Tsahi Halyo of Highland Park, NJ, proposed a USB watch. The students have a few months to work on their idea and presentation.
To enable the students to build out their ideas, various workshops take place and the students are partnered with college student mentors who help advise them. Executive council members work with individual students as well in advance of the presentations. Towards the start of the second semester, the first workshop took place and was led by Dr. Galit Ben-Joseph, Clinical Assistant Professor of Management. She worked with the students, explaining what it takes to put together a business plan using a real-life example of the new Dunkin Donuts that is opening up on campus. Not only did she impress the students, but the students impressed her as well. She commented on how great the discussion was, and how impressed she was with their business ideas. Charlie Harary, assistant clinical professor of management and entrepreneurship, is scheduled to present a workshop later this month.
In addition to the workshops, students are able to participate in the Kukin Lecture Series of the University, which take place Friday mornings during the spring semester. Already this semester, high school students have heard from Joel Mael, Vice-Chairman of the Florida Marlins, Jason Greenblatt, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Trump Organization, Senior Portfolio Manager at Robeco Management, Ron Skotarczak, EVP – Marketing Partnerships at The Madison Square Garden Company, and Jason Madhosingh who leads the Innovation Productions and Digital Partnerships group at American Express. Yitzi Felman, who has attended a number of the lectures, commented, “It’s been incredible hearing first hand from all of these business leaders. All of them have such interesting stories to share and I love having the chance to be invited to hear from them.”
Dr. Seth Taylor, Principal for General Studies at MTA, noted that this program is “one of many that we can offer our students to engage them in their interests and to enable them to truly develop their passions and their talents.”
By Dr. Seth Taylor
