FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2007
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 118 ISSUE 54
AWARDS
Business plan earns scholarship bucks
BY JEFF DETERS
jdeters@kansan.com
Julio Mata Jr. has never set foot in a tanning salon.
But his business plan for a bilingual tanning salon has won a national award and earned him a $2,000 renewable four-year scholarship.
Mata, a Kansas City, Kan., freshman majoring in business management, won first place at the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Bizfest, a competition and training program for high school and college students interested in a career in business. The competition, which ran from Sept. 19-22 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, required students to create a business plan complete with financial information. But Mata was, at one time, without a plan at all.
In regional last spring, Mata, a then-high school senior, was still searching for the right
were due. One of his trainers opened a phone book and on it were ads for tanning salons. Mata began his research at about midnight and stayed up until 4 a.m. working on his new plan. Mata's late-night work paid off, however, as he finished second at regionals.
"I was confident in myself when I presented it," he said. "So that's what helped me. I didn't think I was going to place second, but I thought I'd be in the top three."
Mata said the concept of a bilingual tanning salon was incorporated because he speaks Spanish and English and thought the salon would be better equipped to serve customers.
At the Bizfest finals in September, Mata was again up until the wee hours of the morning getting more accurate financial numbers in regards to loans, rent, utility bills and other expenses. Mata was rewarded again but this time with the first-place award.
"I guess I work better under pressure," he
In addition to the award and scholarship, Mata has been offered an all-expensespaid trip to attend the USHCC Legislative Conference in March, an internship this summer with the USHCC in Washington, D.C., and another summer internship with Sprint.
Mata said one of the things he learned from the competition was the importance of networking. He said meeting people from Sprint and Google helped him learn a great deal about managing finances of big businesses. Mata said in the future he wanted to work in international business.
Susana Rodriguez, Kansas City, Kan. freshman, also competed at Bizfest. Rodriguez, a French and pre-medicine major, submitted a business plan called HealthCARE for All. It featured a clinic for Hispanics and uninsured people.
She said she chose that idea because a year ago her dad was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and his medical coverage expired, mak-
Rodriquez did not place at nationals but said she made new friends and enjoyed networking with business professionals.
"In Puerto Rico I met so many people that I have a lot in common with, and we still keep in touch," she said.
Carlos Gomez, president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said that during the past five years Kansas City-area students had routinely placed in the top three of the competition but never first until this year.
"They did tremendous," he said. "We are very proud of them."
Rodriquez, who might someday want to open her own clinic, offered a suggestion to those interested in a business career: Always ask for the business cards of people you meet.
"You never know when you might need to contact them," she said.
Julio Mata, Kansas City, Kan., freshman, won a renewable $2,000 scholarship for his business model for a bilingual tanning salon. Mata won the first place
Andrew Wacker/KANSAN
11. 01.2007 = JAYPLAY
that's disgusting
A BAD WRAP
Pulling back plastic wrap to a warm rush of steam and the smell of your chicken d'orange from a box is perhaps the greatest joy of microwave cooking. But covering your cuisine with a plastic cloak before nuking it could transfer some unfriendly substances into your food. Carolyn Raffensperger, executive director of the Science and Environmental Health Network (SEHN), says that when plastic wrap gets hot, the chemical compounds that make it
sal, and they seep most easily into diids containing fat. Though the effect of phthalates on humans isn't clear, the chemicals have been linked to reproductive problems in laboratory animals, as well as obesity and cancer. So, when it comes to cooking something that will soon be in your body, "It's safer to avoid plastic food wrap unless you know what's in it," says Ted Schettler, science director for SEHN. Fortunately, you can find plastic wrap that is microwave safe. Just look for a label on the box and let harmless heat reign.
Megan Hirt
■health tip■
A MOUTH-WATERING APPETIZER
People are constantly looking for new ways to lose weight, often turning to fad diets and over-the-counter pills. But one weight loss method is already in your kitchen: water.
"A lot of times when our brain is crawing liquid, we read that as hunger," says Amber Long, fitness coordinator at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center.
Long says students should be drinking eight glasses of water a day, and even more if they are physically active. For weight loss, she recommends drinking eight ounces, or one glass, of water before meals, including breakfast.
It's effective because drinking that glass of water helps fill up your stomach, thereby making you less hungry and less likely to consume large amounts of food at meal time. It's also recommended you drink your last glass of H2O at least three hours before going to bed to avoid bathroom visits throughout the night.
Jared Duncan
health 65
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