Successful young professional touts innovative program to be offered at Career & Tech

Most people loathe public speaking. For college student and credit union professional Jomara Torres, it is a dream job. Torres graduated from Oceanside High School, California, in 2003 with not only a diploma, but a veritable tool kit which she was already using to build a career in financial services and sales. As a high school senior, Torres had studied Virtual Enterprise, an internationally developed business education program that will be offered by the Capital Region Career & Technical School in Fall 2007 under the name International Virtual Business.

"Educationally, Virtual Enterprise gave me the drive to continue on to higher education so that I would never be held back from better opportunities," Torres said recently. "Professionally, it gave me a world of confidence to conquer any mountain I choose. Since I graduated, I have held positions in which I was by far the youngest and most business-savvy, even though my colleagues may have already gotten their degrees. Personally," she added, "the program elevated me to such a level that without it and Denise [Pallozzi], I would probably not be as far into my career as I am now at 21 years old. She gave me that extra kick and is still my mentor."

Pallozzi was Torres' Virtual Enterprise teacher in southern California 2002-03. A native New Yorker, she joined the staff of Career & Tech in 2005 as coordinator of innovative curriculum. She thought the Virtual Enterprise would be a good fit for the school and its students. "Business Administration is still the most-enrolled undergraduate major," Pallozzi said, "yet students barely have the room in their schedule to take a high school business course. Virtual Enterprise covers all areas of business, including accounting and finance, human resource management, marketing and sales, computer applications and web design.

"Jomara was the CEO for their virtual business, Icey Café," Pallozzi continued. "She disciplined employees, conducted reviews, audited payroll, developed a marketing campaign, and led the company in sales. She gained first-hand experiences in business not typically available to a high school student. She profited from those experiences and has since applied herself in pursing a career in finance."

Still an Oceanside resident, Torres is studying Communications at Palomar College, San Marcos, part-time and works full-time as a business development officer at Mission Federal Credit Union, a position she accepted in March. She is responsible for working in the community to bring companies and their employees into the credit union fold.

Rather than feeling pressured by her demanding schedule, Torres relishes the challenge. "I like the balance between school and work," she related. "My first job was working at a check cashing company near our high school, while I was still taking Virtual Enterprise. After I graduated and reached age 18, I was hired as a bank teller at Wells Fargo, where I went on to work as a service and sales representative, personal banker and mortgage representative, while also attending college. I am able to apply the leadership and discipline skills I learned in Virtual Enterprise to real life."

Virtual Enterprise was modeled after European educational initiatives and developed as an applied learning program for U.S. students by the New York City Department of Education. Through this innovative curriculum, International Virtual Business students at Career & Tech will create and operate their own model businesses. They will experience all facets of running a successful firm, including product development, production and distribution; administration; accounting and finance; human resources; marketing and sales; and purchasing.

Students will also learn from local businesspersons who will serve as advisors to their business teams. They will also connect with their peers from around the state, country and world.

Back at Oceanside High, Chief Executive Officer Torres and her team ran smoothie and coffee shop, gaining valuable experience as they delivered tasty beverages on campus. A case study Torres and her class conducted about Jet Blue Airlines for the Bakersfield, California, trade fair qualified them for the Virtual Enterprises International 2003 New York City Trade Fair, a global student marketing showcase, competition and conference event. New York City was a dream destination for Torres and one of the main reasons she enrolled in Virtual Enterprise after learning about the program from a friend. This spring, prospective Career & Tech International Virtual Business students, family members and school staff will share that excitement when they visit the 2007 capstone event.

As for those considering International Virtual Business at Career & Tech, Torres advises, "This program will give you the opportunity to see what it's like to run a real business, and it will enrich you with so many skills for the real world that you will surely have a leg up on the competition."
Details on the Virtual Enterprise curriculum and its history are available at www.veinternational.org.

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