I am Britney Djuhana, and I am 14 years old.  I am excited to have the opportunity to capital raise to pay it forward to other scholars, and for my college tuition in order to one-day graduate deft free so that I am able to achieve my God-given destiny.   

While millions of students struggle to pay for college, and millions more graduate straddled with paralyzing massive debt as evidenced by the 45 million Americans who owe $1.6 trillion dollars in public and private student loan debt (according to an article that appeared in Forbes on February 25, 2019), and while only 18.6 million of those are on a regular payment plan (according to a Septemeber 20, 2019 article in NerdWallet), I have a unique opportunity to graduate from college debt-free while making a difference in other kids’ lives, and while simultaneously learning important transferable employability skills.  Through the Academy of Business Leadership (ABL) College Trust Fund Capital Raising Campaign, as a part of a Semi-Virtual Management Trainee Internship program, I will get a head start on my dreams to guarantee that I am one day able to achieve my life vision of becoming “a fulfilled, blessed, and renowned billionaire scientist and philanthropist.”

ABL has truly changed my life.  Before participating in the year-round ABL 2019-2020 Business and Leadership Institute, I was someone who went with the flow and never spoke up or even tried to put myself out there.  I always thought bad about myself and recognized the flaws that I had, but did not know what was their source and how to work on them.  I used to always doubt myself and think that I was not good enough. That is when ABL and Anna Ouroumian, the ABL Refounder, President & CEO entered my life.  Through the transformational leadership component of the program, and through her trainings, Anna brought out the will and courage in me to put myself out there.  She also pushed me to become the best that I can be.  Without this program, I would not have the goal to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) one day.

Thanks to ABL, I now believe in myself!   I can now see the talent and capabilities that I have, and how I can benefit from them and make a difference at my school, my community, and in the world by using them correctly starting now.  In ABL, I learned to take advantage of all the opportunities that come my way.  Due to this program, I am far ahead of my peers who are still deciding where to go for college.  Most are unsure of what to expect of their future career.

The year-round ABL BLI program focuses on four initiatives: college, career, wealth creation, and philanthropy while teaching us how to acquire empowering conscious and subconscious beliefs to help us make quantum leaps towards our wildest dreams. ABL covers those four initiatives through three components throughout the entire year.  This past summer, as part of one of the three components of the ABL Business and Leadership Institute (BLI), I attended the award-winning ABL Summer Business and Leadership Institute (SBLI) at the USC Marshall School of Business where we were taught by USC college professors, a Chicago Booth MBA, and the ABL Refounder, President & CEO Anna Ouroumian.  Within only two weeks of being in SBLI, I became more confident about myself and changed my view of myself. I now see my self-worth because of ABL and its transformational effect that is has had on me.

In addition, in the SBLI program we wrote full-length business plans and presented them in front of a team of venture capitalists, and business executives.  I am proud to say that my team, TechyLounge, won first place in the Global Youth Business Plan Competition.   Our company TechyLounge provides unique educational toys that teach children to develop good habits at a young age.  Our first toy, PowerPiggy, helps kids learn how to save.  In SBLI, we also managed fictitious one million dollar stock portfolios in teams, and visited with CEOs of various companies.  For example, among many others, we met amazing people like Martha de Laurentiis, a famous movie producer of films and series such as Hannibal.  We also met Cheryl Paller, a top executive in private wealth management at Bank of America.  Both Martha and Cheryl shared their stories with us, and told us how they made it through hard work and dedication.  We were able to ask them questions which will truly help prepare us for the future.  Their advice given to us at such a young age was invaluable.  I have also met exceptional people in the program who are now my friends.

Currently, I am proud to be in the ABL Management Trainee Semi-Virtual Internship, another key component of the 2019-2020 BLI program, as part of the Inaugural 100 class.  Here, we will raise money to pay it forward and for our college trust fund while we learn transferable employability skills to prepare us to become entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and leaders in all fields.  In addition, the other scholars in my group, the Inaugural 100, will grow up with each other as we fulfill our wildest dreams with no limitations. The vision for the inaugural 100 is to have a group of peers, of the same age, who will stay in contact with each other to support each other since we have all gone through the same teachings and guidance. This program has helped me in such a short period of time, and I cannot wait to see how much farther I will go, and how much more I will grow within a year!

The ABL capital raising model was created and formulated by the ABL Refounder, President, and CEO Anna Ouroumian based on her life story and experiences. Though Anna grew up in orphanages in war-torn Lebanon, and was destined for a second-grade level education, she used capital raising to get to high school, come to America alone as a young teen with $160, and study at UCLA where she received the highest honor at graduation as outstanding senior as one of four out of 10,500 seniors, for her academic achievements as well as her service to UCLA, and the community.  Anna has dedicated her life to making a difference in the lives of thousands of youth. Anna was able to persevere due to not seeing money as an obstacle. Just as she used capital raising to radically change her circumstances and help thousands of youth achieve their dreams, she is now teaching us how to do the same through a capital raising system of leveraging other people’s resources and relationships that she came up with.  Anna’s amazing life journey makes me think that if she could do, I can definitely do it too with your support and assistance!

Therefore, I kindly ask you to consider investing in my future and the future of many other high potential students.  My capital raising goal is to raise $326,000 for my college fund so that I am able to attend MIT after high school.  As someone who has received a major scholarship to be able to attend the program, I also would like to raise $241,000 to pay it forward to give other deserving scholars the opportunity to find their passions and big dreams through this amazing program.  However, I cannot reach my dream without your support. ABL teaches us to see ourselves as “investments and not as charity”.  I am very grateful to just have this opportunity!  I sincerely hope that you do consider investing in me as a “Champion” by making a one-time investment, and/or by becoming a “Super Champion” to help me capital raise so that through you, I may invest back in my community, and in this great country!

Reaching my capital raising goal would help me in my goal of lifting the burden of college tuition off my single mom’s shoulders.  My mom is working really hard for us her children (2 sisters and 1 brother). By succeeding in my capital raising, my mom will be less stressed and worried.  In addition, capital raising to pay it forward to ABL will allow other children like me to benefit and grow within a very short period of time just like I did, and will allow me to help provide scholarships to students who may not be financially stable, thus relieving their parents.  I cannot emphasize enough how amazing this program is!  It allows youth to find their true self and have confidence for who they are.

By not having to worry about paying back my student loans, I will be able to focus on my studies and immerse myself in all the opportunities that college has to offer to prepare me for future leadership roles. Moreover, being in this management trainee internship, I will learn transferable employability skills such as sales, marketing, branding, relationship building, relationship management, team building, time management, organization, project management, power networking and connecting as well as grit and stamina, among many other skills. In addition, having a team of “Champions and Super Champions” who are invested in my success, will hold me accountable to my dreams.

Thank you for reading my story and for your support! I promise that for every dollar that I receive, I will one day pay it forward a thousandfold as a generous philanthropist. I also promise that one day I will be writing those big checks to ABL and other organizations.  Giving back is the least that my fellow scholars and I can do since ABL is helping us acquire the empowering conscious and subconscious beliefs, and the right mindset and tools to become sustainable and transformational leaders.  ABL is giving us the chance to learn critical knowledge at such a young age that is changing our lives.  Thanks to your assistance, your faith in me and your investment in me and my dreams will allow me to pay it forward to millions who will also pay it forward to millions more!

Thank you in advance!  I promise to ensure that your legacy does continue to live on through me!  Just as I have, future scholars will gain the chance to learn, transform, and give back themselves! I will forever be grateful to you and to ABL!