FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Ambassador Dr. Margaret Dureke

President & CEO of WETATi Academy & Margaretspeaks

Phone: 240-743-6188

Email: margaret@wetati.com

LOCAL NONPROFIT PREPARES FOR JUNE EVENTS:

iDEA PITCH COMPETITION, WOMEN EMPOWERED SEMINAR and

SCHOLARSHIP & AWARDS GALA

(Prince George’s County, MD; June 7, 2023)—WETATi Academy is hosting its annual events to celebrate entrepreneurial ideas, women thought leaders, academic achievement, and partnerships during the month of June.

“The excitement is building as we anticipate our annual pitch competition, women’s seminar and awards gala,” said Ambassador Dr. Margaret Dureke, Founder and Executive Director. “Every year, the quality of our competitors improves, the number of scholarship applicants expands, and our honorees are more impressive.”

The Dureke iDEA Pitch Competition, a virtual event at 5 p.m. on June 10, presents aspiring young entrepreneurs who will pitch their business ideas before potential business investors, their families and friends, and the public. Through a rigorous evaluation process contestants are exposed to business owners to learn lessons and tips for success. The competition’s goal is to teach students early about the power of entrepreneurship and to put them on a path to economic and creative freedom.

On June 17, the Entrepreneur Convention will present two events in the Colony Ballroom at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland College Park: the Women Empowered Seminar and the Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship & Awards Gala. The Women Empowered Seminar, from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon, is an opportunity for women to celebrate their achievement and challenge their possibilities with keynote speakers and two panel discussions: Creating A Seat and The Table and WETATi Women’s Wellness (WWW): Wholistic Empowerment presented by Kaiser Permanente.

At 6 p.m., the WETATi Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship & Awards Gala will feature the live vocals of R&B/soul singer Wanya Wondwossen. Honoree and journalist Sam Ford, of ABC7/WJLA-TV, will share a motivational message as the keynote speaker. Awards will be presented to the 2023 Dureke iDEA pitch competition winners, scholarship recipients, and “Achieving the impossible” honorees.

The WETATi Academy June events are presented in partnership with the Nyumburu Cultural Center University of Maryland College Park and strategic partners, Kaiser Permanente and SA-TECH, Inc.

WETATi Academy (We’re Empowered to Achieve The impossible), established in 2012, educates and empowers low- to moderate-income youth (11-25 years old) on how to become financially independent through practical and experiential activities that prepare them for employment, entrepreneurship, and future economic opportunities. To learn more about WETATi Academy and our June events, please call (240) 743-6188 or visit our web site at www.wetatiacademy.org.

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