American Entrepreneurship and Summer Fun

After a fantastic kick off, JA Global Connection continued on Tuesday, August 18th, with a trip to the oldest college in Connecticut, Yale University. While at Yale, the students participated in the famous marshmallow challenge where groups compete to create the tallest spaghetti-marshmallow tower based on teamwork and ingenuity. The students also heard tips and expertise from a panel of successful local entrepreneurs, including:

• Paul Dupervil, owner of Hamden-based Real Property Management of Southern Connecticut

• Peter Kozodoy, chief strategy officer for Gem Advertising in New Haven

• Onyeka Obiocha, president of Happy Life Coffee, which has coffee roasting operations in Wallingford

Later that day, the students worked in their student groups to research what type of products they want to import and export between China and the U.S.

In the evening, the students, chaperones, and JA staff headed to the Wallingford Senior Center for a cookout and dance complete with an ice cream bar. Since ice cream is not popular in China, the Chinese students were really interested in the flavors and the whipped cream!

On Wednesday, the students dived deeper into the "Nuts and Bolts of Trade" with our friends from the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration. Following the presentation, the students used their new knowledge to continue product selection.

After all the importing and exporting discussions, the students lighten it up with bowling and pizza. Bowling was a fantastic team building exercise with the American students teaching the Chinese students how to bowl.

The afternoon included a fascinating tour of the Otis Test Tower.

The day ended at Lake Compounce. where the students split into groups based on their thrill seeking tolerance - everything from swings to roll

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