Verona resident Giuliana DeSilva will be among the student entrepreneurs taking the stage this evening at Mount St. Dominic Academy’s L.E.O. Program LionWorks Competition. In the “Shark Tank”-style event, student teams present products and start-up businesses that they have developed to a panel of investors. The winning team stands to receive awards in the form of college scholarships, with the past victors securing $5,000 in scholarship funds for their chosen colleges.
The Mount is the second school in the state, and the first all-girls school, selected to participate in the L.E.O. Program, which aligns with its commitment to blending traditional liberal arts with real-world educational opportunities. The program was established in memory of Leonidas “Leo” Vagias, a Don Bosco alumnus and the brother of Mount alumnae Alexandra Vagias ’18, who was killed in a 2016 car accident. It aims to create business-minded leaders and entrepreneurs during their junior and senior years of high school. Taught by a combination of faculty, business experts, and professional entrepreneurs, the program spans the entire business or product development lifecycle, emphasizing leadership, entrepreneurship, and opportunities.
In addition, the program extends beyond the classroom, incorporating lectures from industry leaders and field trips to organizations such as UPS and the United Nations. Recent speakers have included Frank Zambrelli, an ESG/sustainability expert, design and branding chief executive; Emmy-award winning CBS News Anchor Kristine Johnson; renowned celebrity makeup artist Nydia Cabrera; Hannah Ritter, the founder of spiritdecks.com; and Denisa Ademaj, who works in the admissions department at Mercy University.
