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David Park

Crean Lutheran High School
Class of 2027

Collaborated with business and development experts to improve the infrastructure and marketing strategy of a business in the developing world.

Created a proposal with viable solutions to address my business partner’s most pressing problems.

Received a grant reviewed by leaders in the fields of business and development to implement solutions for my business partner.

Learn more about David here.

David Park is honored of having the opportunity to partake in the 2024 International Leadership and Business Internship. He is excited to delve deep into the world of business and international relations and leadership. Hoping to learn more about specific professions within the fields of business and international relations, David sees this internship program as a stepping stone and a foundation for his future career. Moreover, David hopes to make a clear, positive impact on those around him, by providing his best effort and his insight into all that he does.

David Park currently attends Crean Lutheran High School and will be a sophomore at Crean this fall. A successful student, David participates in numerous Honors and AP courses, and holds high grades in all of his classes. He also partakes in his high school’s MUN team, and has multiple awards for his research and outstanding performances at conferences. Additionally, David also is a part of several clubs including Aerial Drone Photography and Finance, and plans to earn his commercial drone license this summer. Outside of school, David Park is also a competitive fencer traveling across the country for tournaments, and he has medaled at various regional and state events.

During this internship, David is excited to gain newfound knowledge and dive into the ocean that is Business, learning the various ways he can incorporate his gifts and talents to contribute to the workplace and Business field. Beyond this, David hopes that this internship can provide him with newfound wisdom to assist him in becoming a private equity investor, or any other career that piques his interest, but more importantly how he can support the community around him to find success.

Read more about David’s achievements here.

My Business Consultant Training

Collaborated With A Business In The Developing World

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Our team reviewed the economic, social, political, and environmental factors that impact our partner business to design a launch plan and identify how to bridge the gap between our business partner’s current and desired conditions.

Earned a Development Grant to Enact Solutions

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In order to fund the proposed business, our team composed a detailed plan and pitched our proposal to request seed funding from the Leadership Initiatives Grant Committee.

Collaborated With Business Development Experts

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After researching the socio-economic conditions facing our business partners, our team worked with the Nigerian development staff to create effective solutions to the challenges our business partner was facing.

Ikilimat Abdulazeez

About Ikilimat

Ikilimat's journey into the world of cooking and restaurant management began in her mother’s bustling kitchen, where she absorbed invaluable culinary knowledge and business acumen from her hardworking and dedicated mother, a seasoned restaurant owner in their community. Despite not having formal training at a culinary school, Ikilimat immersed herself in mastering her mother’s recipes and techniques, developing a deep passion for cooking and cultivating a keen eye for the intricacies of running a successful restaurant.

Her upbringing instilled in her a profound sense of purpose—to honor her mother’s legacy and to establish a thriving enterprise that embodies their family’s culinary traditions.

Ikilimat Abdulazeez

Business Goals

Ikilimat has clear goals for her future, envisioning a life where her family does not have to worry about the burden of rent and will own a home. Her dream extends beyond mere homeownership; she aspires to make a haven where her loved ones can live comfortably, creating a sense of security and stability. Additionally, she is committed to providing her children with the best education possible, with aspirations to put all three of them through university, recognizing education as the key to unlocking their potential and securing their future success. Furthermore, Ikilimat plans to invest in a car, viewing it as a practical necessity that would not only ease transportation for her family but also symbolize progress and empowerment, marking a tangible step towards a brighter and more prosperous future for them all.

Professionally, Ikilimat envisions not only expanding her restaurant business across Bauchi State but also establishing multiple locations. With each new restaurant, she seeks to create meaningful opportunities for employment, particularly for young people in her community. By continuously learning new recipes, refining her culinary techniques, and staying abreast of industry trends, Ikilimat is determined to give her restaurant a competitive edge.

Ikilimat Abdulazeez

Obstacles

After her mother’s passing, Ikilimat embarked on the ambitious task of preserving and expanding her mother’s culinary legacy through her own restaurant. Despite her determination, she faces formidable obstacles in running her establishment. Ikilimat often works long hours under challenging conditions, balancing the demands of both motherhood and entrepreneurship. The recent government policy to remove roadside kiosks, a primary location for her business, posed a significant threat, forcing her to adapt quickly to new circumstances to ensure her restaurant's survival.

Nevertheless, Ikilimat remains resolute in her commitment to honor her mother’s memory and serve her community with delicious meals. She navigates bureaucratic hurdles, such as licensing and regulatory compliance, while also managing the complexities of sourcing quality ingredients and maintaining competitive pricing. Through it all, Ikilimat’s unwavering dedication to her family and her passion for culinary excellence drive her forward, fueling her relentless pursuit of success despite the challenges she faces.

Ikilimat Abdulazeez

Home & Family

Ikilimat, a 39-year-old woman, resides with her husband and three children in the Sabon Layi community of Bauchi State, Nigeria, where she plays a pivotal role in supporting her family's livelihood. As one of her husband's wives, Ikilimat bears the responsibility of providing for her children.

Through her unwavering perseverance and relentless pursuit of success, Ikilimat works to create out a brighter future for her children, one defined by access to quality education and a nurturing home environment. Her journey is fueled by the belief that through hard work and resilience, she can provide her children with the opportunities they need to thrive and fulfill their potential, ensuring that her family's legacy of resilience and determination endures for generations to come.

Ikilimat Abdulazeez

Our Partnership

Ikilimat is eager to partner with Leadership Initiatives, she sees it as a transformative opportunity for her business to flourish. The recent government policy affecting roadside kiosks has disrupted her operations significantly, making the need for a permanent business space more urgent. Through this partnership, she hopes to secure funding to establish a well-equipped restaurant with proper dining and modern kitchen equipment to serve more customers. She recognizes the need for effective advertising and financial management to attract more customers and enhance her business's profitability. She aims to strengthen her business's foundation and achieve long-term success by learning these skills. Ikilimat is excited to give back to her community by creating jobs and serving as an inspiration.

In Ikilimat's words, "Ikilimat hopes that this partnership will give her the opportunity to learn things she doesn’t know about running a business such as how to attract customers and retain them, how to manage business and personal finances etc. She is very excited for this partnership and the opportunity it will grant her business. She hopes that she will be able to give back to her community.”

My Grant
Proposal

Bamaiyi’s Blessed Kitchen is a restaurant focusing on the finest Nigerian foods. Ikilimat Abdulazeez has a rich background in cooking and managing a household, showing dedication to high-quality, affordable delicacies in a welcoming and culturally-rich environment.

Bamaiyi’s Blessed Kitchen is vastly superior to other dining options due to the clear commitment to homemade, heartfelt meals. Each dish is made with recipes passed down through generations, which ensures authenticity and flavor. Ikilimat’s emphasis on quality addresses the need for authentic and delicious meals. The strong reputation Ikilimat has will allow targeted marketing and community engagement, in order to build a loyal customer base.

At Bamaiyi’s Blessed Kitchen, we strive to bring the essence of authentic Nigerian cuisine to the forefront by offering homemade dishes prepared with passion and expertise. Bamaiyi’s Blessed Kitchen stands out due to Ikilimat’s unwavering passion for preparing meals to the best of her ability and the focus on creating an immersive experience though food. Bamaiyi’s Blessed Kitchen is well-positioned to thrive and become a beloved destination for authentic Nigerian cuisine.

My Grant Proposal
Presentation

In the International Leadership and Business Internship, I worked directly with some of the world’s leading developmental experts in order to build my partners business and brand.

At the conclusion of this internship, our team pitched the final proposal to a panel of esteemed judges from the Leadership Initiatives Nigerian Development Team and the Leadership Initiatives Grant Committee. This formal pitch allowed our team to practice our skills and utilize our entrepreneurial toolkit, all while showcasing our efforts to transform the business we partnered with.

At the end of the pitch, we were able to receive feedback on our proposal for our business partner. Over the next year, our business partner’s venture will be made into reality and monitored for sustained success and growth.

Internship Highlights

Our team began the business development process by having a one-on-one Zoom call directly with our business partner, Ikilimat Abdulazeez, and our Nigerian project coordinator to ensure productive collaboration.

We learned more about their life, family, and desires for the proposed business venture, as well as the challenges they were facing. By discussing first-hand the challenges our partner faced, our team successfully and efficiently began to brainstorm solutions to launch their business.

Each morning we held constructive discussions about our ideas, the advice we received the day before, and the timeline necessary to begin implementing our ideas in real-time.

The on-staff project coordinators and business development experts helped facilitate the ideation process and ensured our team asked the right questions to produce tangible results.

I had the unique opportunity to visit the Ugandan Embassy, where I learned about diplomatic relations between Uganda and the United States.

The embassy serves as a hub for collaboration with partner countries and international organizations, which facilitates the creation of solutions to address global issues, such as poverty, gender inequality, and climate change.

Ugandan diplomats and officials work closely with local communities to identify needs and design programs that empower individuals and enhance overall societal well-being. This community-centered problem-solving is something my team and I aspired towards while crafting our business proposal.

I also visited the Embassy of Switzerland to learn about the role that Switzerland plays in domestic and international development work. We discussed critical topics including investments, international trade, and human rights.

While touring the embassy, I learned about the wide range of policy issues and gained a better understanding of the embassy’s role in international development through sustainable and inclusive initiatives.

My visit to the Embassy of Switzerland was not only educational, but inspiring. It allowed me to see Switzerland’s pivotal role in advancing international development and how I can implement their ideals into my own work.

Our team met with leading experts in the fields of business and economic development from Johns Hopkins University, the State Department, and GlobalGiving.

One such expert was Carla Brooks, Business and Development Officer at Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Program. She provided us with a crash course in advertising and marketing, in which we learned essential components of an effective marketing campaign.

Our work with Ms. Brooks was essential in preparing us for our culminating pitch deck presentation. With her and other expert guidance, we streamlined our initial ideas to further our efforts in launching the venture our business partner envisioned.

By the end of the week, we had incorporated the advice of leading experts from across the globe for our business proposal to empower and transform the life of our business partner.