NOTHING WAS THE SAME AT THE WETATi 2017 ENTREPRENEURSHIP CONVENTION & AWARDS GALA- #Wedidit
Weny Archer,  WETATi 2017 Entrepreneurship Competition 1st Place WINNER. 
THIS IS LIVING #GOALS 
My name is Wendy Archer, I attended my first WETATi event in October 2016.  I sat and listened to several great speakers recalling their hiccups offering their learning blocks to the road of success.  I was welcomed like family, (a hug from the Dr. Dureke)  That is where I learned about the business idea competition.  WETATi is giving the community an opportunity to turn their ideas into a real tangible product!  I was excited.  I hit the drawing board and began developing my business plan.  They have been working me and others ever since in developing our business ideas and plans. I attended the WETATi convention and gala in April 2017 and listened and learned from more great speakers.  The speakers were very motivating! I learned about finances, available resources, the importance of a mentor, developing and maintaining a support team, staying healthy in order to provide ongoing services to your clients/customers.  I enjoyed the knowledge.  Knowledge is power, when used.  When I presented my business plan and idea to the judges during the competition as one of the finalists, I prayed they would overlook my nervousness and see my vision.  They did!  I won first place!!  I would have never had the guts to present my idea to anyone if it wasn't for WETATi in the way they encourage people to be and do.  Dr. Dureke made me feel like family.  Without the support and guidance of WETATi my business idea would not have flourished!  What sets WETATi apart from other organizations is the support and comfort they provide and how firm they are in making sure we get all the tools, resources and capacity we need to succeed. This organization is totally different to any other out there because I have been around and have been searching.  Access to a great support system is unspeakable in this day and age.  Working with people I feel comfortable with, that genuinely care about my well being, is like working with family.  You even gain business mentors. If you have not heard about WETATi, go to there website (www.wetati.com) and learn how you can be a part of something big, where dreams are realized, it begins with just one idea!  Even better go now and join the 2018  Entrepreneurship COMPETITION and sign up to compete for next year, YOU could be next! Thank you WETATI!- Wendy Archer,, WC4CTLE CLUB MEMBER & 2017 1ST PLACE WINNER

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"Thank you and the WETATi family for your hospitality, leadership and support.  This year's event surpassed all other years and was a resounding success in more ways than I can count.  I am so happy that I was able to attend all three days of the Convention. Congratulations to you, Dr. Dureke and the entire WETATi organization  for another stellar and informative event." -Towanda R.  Livingston, Director, Small, Local and Minority Business Enterprise (SLMBE) Office, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC)

 WETATi -CHANGING THE NARRATIVE....

THIS IS LIVING! #GOALS
Top photo: L-R: The Hon. Monroe Dennis, Mayor Pro Tempore, College Park, Maryland;  Deputy Secretary of State Luis Borunda, Office of the Governor, State of Maryland; Ambassador Dureke, & David Seyler, Sr. Vice President, Old Line Bank
 Pearls of Entrepreneurship mindset from- David Seyler, Sr. Vice President of Old Line Bank- pictured above, with Meghan Enriguez of True Conversations LLC.

“On behalf of Old Line Bank, we are delighted to be here today. And to echo some of the comments that have already been made, we are truly a partner, in not only Prince George’s County, but the eight counties that we serve throughout the state. Sometimes it’s hard for people to look at a bank from an entrepreneurial perspective, but we were a small bank that started in 1989 down in Waldorf, MD with one branch and now we have 21 branches throughout the state in eight counties and a little over 2 billion dollars in assets. So, we started from an entrepreneurial dream of a two people from a town in southern Maryland and we’ve grown to this point.”

“First of all, never forget your customer. I think a lot of businesses tend to do that. They become successful and they might forget that first customer because they concentrate too much on the next customer… Second, never forget...." - David Seyler, SVP, Old Line Bank: follow us on social media and or  join the our organization to get the rest of the pearls from Mr, Seyler

Monroe Dennis, Mayor Pro Tempore of the City of College Park:  “One of my messages today, just as the Secretary indicated, is to connect and converse and you never know where that conversation or that engagement might take you.”

WETATi 2017 Entrepreneurship competition 3rd Place WINNER- Bisola Daramola
Steven Nash, Keynote Speaker
  Above are: WETATi – Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship Awards recipients for 2017 as pictured above from L-R: Chris Wright, Prince George's Community College, Hillman Entrepreneurs program, Nayeem Ali, Prince George's Community College, Hillman Entrepreneurs program, Breanna Coleman, VP, WETATi-Next Generation, UMCP, Victoria Ajikomo, President-WETATi-Next Generation, UMCP, and Nicholas Ihuoma, President-WETATi-Next Generation, Howard University.  This years scholarship was also partially sponsored by Maryland Delegate Alonzo Washington and a major advocate for WETATi.
To the right: Dr. Dureke, Ambassador of the Republic of The Gambia to the United States of America and one of the great Ambassador and advocate for WETATi, Sheik  Omar Faye, Brenda Chavis and Towanda Livingston 
WETATi 2017 Entrepreneurship competition 2nd Place WINNER- Sharifa Crawford
The godmother of WETATi-Next Generation UMCP, WETATi Anne Reese Carswell  in HER ELEMENT: We 're with HER!

Prince George's County Honorable Councilman Todd Turner Speaks at the entrepreneurship competition convention

“This morning I was talking about the opportunities that you have here in Prince Georges County to be entrepreneurs and to be business owners. And so, I just want to make sure that you know that we as a county government are partners as part of this. And like anything in life, whether it be politics, government, business, your family, everything is all about relationships. And so, the relationships that you are building here today, maybe it’s a new relationship or maybe it’s a longtime relationship that you’re are getting reacquainted and you’re not sure what that relationship will hold for you, but I will say this, take advantage....” 

Honorable Council Member Turner attending with his daughter who attends UMCP- pictured here with him.


Deputy Secretary of State of Maryland, Luis Borunda: Spoke and presented WETATi with plaque form the State.

“I’m an entrepreneur. It’s really interesting because when the Governor asked me to join his team, I quickly discovered that a lot of people that he surrounded himself with were business people and not bureaucrats or politicians, not that there’s anything wrong with bureaucrats and politicians, we need everybody, but those of us who have now taken on this kind of “government hat” are people that have done things and know how to get things done. We follow up and we follow through. Those are a couple other key elements that you need to think about as you start your business, following up and following through.”  

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Dania Leiva of Prince George's Community College Hillman Entrepreneurs Program: pictured below
"Impossibility is a DARE and NOT a Declaration"
"You can't aspire to what has not been introduced into your consciousness"- Ambassador Dr. Margaret Dureke

“We need to teach entrepreneurship. Everybody in this room, when I say “Are you an entrepreneur?”, you should say “Yes!” because if you’re not selling something for somebody else, you’re selling yourself. You are an entrepreneur, own it!”

“In today’s industry, you’re gonna need partnerships because here’s what I know for sure, is that small businesses and minority businesses are good at their core discipline, what they do. They’re not good at the wrap around services. I call them “wrap around” because they protect the business—legal, finance, human resources. So, in order to do those things, you are going to need the support of agencies—the SBDC, you’re going to need WETATi, you’re gonna need this network—that way you’re not losing money while your sleeping, you’re earning money while your sleeping.”-Towanda R.  Livingston, Director, Small, Local and Minority Business Enterprise (SLMBE) Office, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC)

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Prince George's Community College students participated and attended in style
Delegate Alonzo Washington, State of Maryland House & Mr. John Dureke photo opps. right after the Honorable Delegate spoke at the awards Gala. Thanks Alonzo for your continued support as our advocate for the next generation....
WETATi Next Generation UMCP E-board  members ....
Wow what can i say about this convention? 

"What I can say about the convention is WETATi, POWER! Three of the newest things I took from the convention are (1) be willing to attach yourself to others' ideas, (2) Sew seeds to help others and (3) "The moment you are willing to lose it all, you will gain it all." The theme that really stuck with me was 'changing the narrative' of how we millennials think, so that we may make changes for our generation and build generational wealth for generations to come. As VP of the UMD WETATi chapter, myself as well as the rest of my executive board, used what we learned that past weekend to develop new ideas to impact our campus in the upcoming year. One of our main focuses is being sure that minority students understand their financial literacy, through events and partnerships with other organizations on campus. Furthermore, we want to be sure that 'the next generation' is present! It is my goal, and the goal of the rest of my eboard to bring more college students to WETATi, not only from UMD, but from other campuses in Maryland. Power sometimes comes in small packages, but if we want to change the narrative for millennials, we must also build something they will listen to.  This is what WETATi does. -Breanna Coleman, VP, WETATi-Next Generation, UMCP

**Breanna Coleman pictured on the photo to the right holding her scholarship check and first person form the right on the photo above.
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Mayor Walter Lee James, of the Town of Bladensburg brought greetings at the convention.  He is one of the supporters and Ambassadors of WETATi

Deputy Secretary of State of Maryland, Luis Borunda, spoke and presented proclamation to WETATi

“I’m an entrepreneur. It’s really interesting because when the Governor asked me to join his team, I quickly discovered that a lot of people that he surrounded himself with were business people and not bureaucrats or politicians, not that there’s anything wrong with bureaucrats and politicians, we need everybody, but those of us who have now taken on this kind of “government hat” are people that have done things and know how to get things done. We follow up and we follow through. Those are a couple other key elements that you need to think about as you start your business, following up and following through.”-  Luis Borunda



From L-R: Mr.. Pitner of the Daily Beast, Princess Gelila Selassie of Ethiopia,  Nicholas Ihuoma,  Howard University, Dr. Florence Etop, Bowie State University and Professor Elijah Cooks of the chair, Prince George's Community College Business Department--all presented 
Chris Wright & Nayeem Ali,  WETATi-Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship award recipients from Prince George's Community College and Interns for WETATi

Working for the WETATi organization has been great, it has opened my eyes and has given me insight to aspects of the world I have not experienced yet. I am committed to join the WETATi next generation club when I transfer to University of Maryland. Every school should have program like this to connect students with people that are able to motivate and inspire them on how and why they should start their own businesses now rather than later, like Dr. Dureke has inspired me. Even though they're in college to learn, college can’t teach them the information I’ve received from this program.

The WETATi convention was truly one of the greatest events I ever attended, every day was something new. The amount of knowledge I gained from just attending this will impact my life for years, for the goals I have in mind the convention gave me a lot of insights and ideas that I had not seen before from knowledgeable and successful individuals of color. Having someone that resembled me showcase their ideas on stage was great to see because I am then able to picture myself rising above their current levels. After learning from them I aim to take their knowledge and rise above that because as a student I have to carry the torch and eventually pass on that knowledge. The gala on Saturday was amazing, to see a room full of African American people empowering each other as some receive awards for their efforts. There aren’t a lot of organizations that comprise mainly of African Americans who are trying to help my generation be more interested in Entrepreneurship rather than just working for someone else. Now I see why Dr. Dureke always says: “change your narrative, create your own opportunity.” This was an amazing event that I will continue attending and will bring more of my friends to so that they can be inspired and soak up all that knowledge and connect with people in this great organization. I want to thank Dr. Dureke and WETATi for putting on this event and allowing me to be a part of this convention. My life is forever changed..
Dr. Florence Etop from Bowie State University pictured to the right  attended with many students and presented as well. Some of the students are pictured below hers on the right
"WETATi is a great organization and I am very happy to be a part of it and I am joining the organization so I can help them reach more youths as to empower them to start their own businesses at young age. This is why I brought my students to attend and they loved it.  This is very impressive. WETATi-Power!
L-R: Simone Mawakani, Dr. Etop, Lucretia Freeman Buster, Howard University School of Business, SBDC and WETATi Board of Director and strategic Partner, John Dureke, Ambassador Duerke and Alida Zuniga.  
Ana Harvey in red and black above, who was one of the competition judges, also received award in recolonization of her exceptional achievements in fielding business ventures and administration of businesses in many administrations, including that of President Obama and currently the Director, District of Columbia Department of Small Business Development (DSLBD) 
 WETATi has changed my life forever!

My Experience at WETATi has been an amazing one. Since meeting Dr. Dureke last November. It has been a wonderful journey of progression. I have since met and have gotten connected to a wealth of network and information that money cannot buy. You are constantly challenged to change your mindset and way of thinking. Your approach to life, education, and people change as a result of association. The team is Love Personified. The outpouring of genuine love is beyond words from Dr. Dureke to every single member of the group. The WETATi organization comprises of very-driven, selfless, motivated, and hard-working people who aspire to push the envelope and inspire many along the way.

WETATi Entrepreneurship Competition:
The WETATi Entrepreneurship Competition was an eye-opening experience for me. I was inspired to take an idea that I have always had and put it to paper detailing ways that makes my idea stand out from the pack (competition), what it entails, revenue potential, etc and present my pitch to angel investors. I was selected as one of six finalists and that was huge in and of itself. I then presented my idea to the investors present. Even though, I was not selected among the Top 3 finalists, I gained a wealth of information in the process and with the benefit of being a member of the WETATi Entrepreneurship club, I will still have more mentor-ship and training opportunities for my business to potentially meet the right partners and investors for it. WETATi Power! - Nicholas Ihuoma, President of WETATi-Next Generation Howard University, Member of the WETATi Entrepreneurship Club and recipient of the WETATi-Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship 2017 and one of the competition Finalist

Lucretia and her husband Morris Buster looking WETATinized at the awards and scholarship gala
 
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Ike Ume- Health Professional and presenter at the convention
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  POWERFUL CONVENTION & GALA!
It is powerful for one's self as well as their community to have organizations like WETATi fostering and nurturing the growth of healthy, vibrant hearts and minds. One by one they are transforming how people view themselves and contribute to our world as a whole through empowering education. It was an honor to share the stage with this year's business grant contestants and to love laugh and be true with all of you. Love, Meghan Enriquez:- Founder and President of True Conversations LLC. and the Host of the WETATi 2017 Entrepreneurship Competition  
John and Janice Chew, Keena Chew and the entire family WETATi thanks you for awesome job well-done.
 WETATi Family Members that made this convention successful..some are pictured here and some are not...WETATi thanks you all..you are the "bestest" ever. WETATi Power!
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Ms. Celestine Johnson pictured to the right with her Certificate of appreciation and Co-chair for the 2017 convention, we love and appreciate you more than words can say.  You are the "bestest". You are simply superb of a being. God bless you.
Cookie and Mac Ewell,  (shown below) you guys are awesome and so compassionate that it exudes your persons. Thank you
 WETATi Center 4 Creative Thinking Leadership & Entrepreneurship
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info@wetati.com
When Love conquers it all...  JOHN AND JANICE CHEW...WETATi LOVES YOU!
John and Janice Chew are the epitome of what true love and marriage is about...you may not understand, until you meet this awesome and lovely couple...since high school bye the way...sister Janice, I hear you when you say" WETATi is good grounds" and you a and your family will sew in it...the Lord has agreed and for that reason you and your family will never lack....Abrahamic blessings is upon you and yours.  John thank YOU! WETATI-Power!

THANKS FOR ALL YOU AND RENEE BROOKS DO TO MAKE WETATi look beautiful.