Girls Inc. engages 8th graders in business, entrepreneurship

ST. LOUIS — A group of 13- and 14-year-old girls are learning about the global supply chain, personal branding and accountability through a new hands-on program designed to engage young women in business early on, and develop their interest.

Girls Incorporated of St. Louis has partnered with University of Missouri-St. Louis and First Bank to create a five-year program to introduce St. Louis girls to the world of business.

“We’re learning what 20-year-olds are learning!” said Rain Jones, a 13-year-old rising eighth grader at Cross Keys Middle School.

The girls have career goals in everything from working with animals to opening a trendy clothing boutique that will sell, among other things, flair pants.

The participants are 15 of the “best and brightest” students chosen from University City, Normandy and Jennings middle schools, said said Cheryl Jones, the local Girls Inc. president and CEO.

“It (the program) is an investment for the future,” Jones said. “We help them understand why their presence is needed.”

Jones said organizers asked girls already involved with the local branch of the national Girls Inc. nonprofit for help in developing the program.

“The girls were our guide, and we asked them what they were looking for,” Jones said.

The conclusion? Business classes.

School superintendents, principals and advisers compiled a list of top students who showed an entrepreneurial interest, Jones said. She interviewed the girls and their parents.

And the cohort began the 6-week summer portion of the program last month, and have since met for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, learning three new college-preparatory business modules a week. They’ll resume the intensive programs every summer.

Carla Jordan, director of undergraduate advising and students services in the College of Business Administration at UMSL said she is excited to see the young women understand the information — sometimes more quickly than some of the professors’ college students.

“Their opportunities aren’t limited to what’s around them,” said Ellen Dierberg Milne, chairwoman of the board at First Bank.

Golden Curtis, a rising eighth-grader at Pattonville Heights Middle School, has dreams of opening a toy business for underprivileged kids.

“I was at a toy store and I saw a kid who couldn’t buy a Barbie and I got so sad,” Curtis said. “Every kid deserves a childhood, no matter what they can or can’t afford.”

The girls also do weekly field trips to local businesses, like Nestle and First Bank.

In the school year, the group will continue to meet for once a month sessions.

“I don’t just want this to be a class, I want this to be a big influence through their formative years,” Milne said.