A Look Into Stuyvesant’s Future Entrepreneurs

A report due in two days. An exam the next, and three essays that must be typed and printed by the end of this week. Not to mention that extra credit project which was optional, but the teacher “suggested” should be done.

This seems to be the endless cycle faced by Stuyvesant students as they struggle with balancing their academics. After this, it can feel like there is barely any time left for them to do anything else, so much so that even extracurriculars and sleep may become hard to manage. Nonetheless, there are a number of students who have kickstarted their own businesses, buying and selling products, and have taken part in larger initiatives outside of this community. Some of these students provided insight as to how they manage their businesses and exactly what they do.

Raunak Chowdhury

Senior Raunak Chowdhury is the co-founder of Pegleg Prep and BlockchainsForSchools. Pegleg Prep, a startup that he founded along with three other seniors, aims to spread free online Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) resources to middle schoolers. Chowdhury’s motivation for this stems from his childhood. “As a first-generation, low-income student, I was hard-pressed to find adequate SHSAT prep for myself. Forking over a few grand to a tutorial was a financial burden for my family,” Chowdhury recalled.

As a result, Chowdhury created Pegleg Prep to help support others in similar situations and ensure that they did not have to go through the same hardships he did. “Finances should never be a roadblock to higher education,” he claimed. Chowdhury also cites his uncle as one of the most influential people in his life because he allowed Chowdhury to realize the life-changing impact one’s actions can have on others, which is something he hopes that Pegleg Prep will have on other people out there going through the same struggles.

In contrast, BlockchainsForSchools is an organization started by Chowdhury and a Harvard alum that pairs all New York City high school students with experienced mentors in the blockchain industry, an industry that protects publicly distributed financial information. After taking part in the Alumni Mentoring Program his junior year, Chowdhury recognized the worth of mentors, for they had provided him with extensive knowledge and connections. This, combined with his interest in the blockchain industry, prompted him to start BlockchainsForSchools. “At my internship, I was consistently the youngest person working there,” Chowdhury recalled. “I just asked myself, ‘Where is the next generation?’”

Ben Shpetner

An avid reseller and sneakerhead, junior Ben Shpetner has been a part of the buying and selling business for over four years. Shpetner credits his love for fashion, which he traces back to elementary school, as his reason for entering this business. He began actively participating in the fashion industry during mid-2014, when brands like Supreme, which were gaining popularity, piqued his interest.

“During that time, I was already kind of on that wave,” he said. “I learned a lot of information that other people didn’t realize until after. And later on when I started to accumulate more pocket money, I [...] decided to try [to] resell.”

Shpetner believes that the success of a reseller depends on their ability to predict trends and obtain the most sought-after items on the market. “If something—for example, Kanye’s Yeezys—gets mass-produced to an extent where they’re no longer a rarity and everyone has them, then their market value decreases dramatically,” he explained. It is the reseller’s job to anticipate this change and plan accordingly.

“It’s a big business,” Shpetner also commented. He went on to describe what an interactive community it is and how it is able to bring so many different people together. At the end of the day, despite their age gap, experiences or knowhow, they all just stand in the same line, vying for the same items, in hopes of acquiring something big.

Allison Eng

Senior Allison Eng has turned her love for stationery into a self-run online business. She uses social media and her stationery website as her main forms of communication with her customers.

Over the years, her Instagram account (@stationerystoreco) has amassed over 50,000 followers with eight to 10 sales per week. Eng acknowledged the difficulty she sometimes experienced when it came to balancing both an active account and schoolwork, especially because she “liked to dedicate time to the packages,” she said. Additionally, though some of her products are obtained from larger suppliers, many of them are also novelties that she collected while traveling to local or unique stationery stores. This can be a time-consuming process but is also the reason that her account stands out in comparison to other stationery accounts.

Kevin Lu

While some people view the buying and selling industry as a job, and take it as seriously as a business, junior Kevin Lu engages in it more for the fun of it. Lu was introduced to the buying and selling community during his freshman year but only began to focus on it toward the end of his sophomore year. “I was interested at first, but I tried it out and realized how fun it was,” he stated.

Lu experienced several difficulties in the business world. “I found it challenging and often frustrating at times when I wasn’t able to get the items I wanted,” he said. Despite that, Lu realized that he has learned a lot from being a member of the buying and selling community. It has shown him how to work well and communicate with others, as well as make business deals that allow him to maximize profits on both ends. However, he still prioritizes his family and education first as he avoids cutting classes to get new releases and tries to stay on top of his grades. “I never did—and I still don’t—care much about the money,” he stated. “I just view it as a fun hobby, being able to obtain these limited products.”

Vincent Gao

Sophomore Vincent Gao goes by the motto “go big or go home.” While others procrastinated or hung out with their friends, he came up with the idea of Aethereal, an innovative clothing company co-founded by him and a few friends. They are currently working on developing a new fabric that will be versatile enough to keep you cool during the hottest summer days, and warm during the coldest winter nights. Gao believes that this, if done right, could be a gamechanger for the fashion industry.

Of course, endeavors like these are difficult. They require immense commitment and sacrifice. As the chief marketing officer, Gao often finds himself having to travel to places or stay late during business meetings to build up his project. “Once I got home at midnight with a test and [a] project due the next day,” he admitted, also revealing that it has not always been smooth sailing for his company. “Especially in its earlier stages, businesses often hinge on a few significant decisions. [There are] stakes on these decisions and if you [mess] one up, you could potentially ruin the business,” he said. Nonetheless, Gao sees this as a long-term establishment that could be viable if the cards are played right. “I’m the type to not accept anything but the best, and this is my means to be the best,” he said.

The dedication and work that students put into these self-run businesses and enterprises are often overlooked and underestimated, shrouded by their roles as students. They all originate from a simple interest or idea that has unfolded into something more, with some of these students having long-term establishments and others just continuing for fun.

Regardless of success, it will be their entrepreneurial attitude that defines their ability to accomplish greater things in the future.