Immaculate High’s Young Entrepreneurs Day Shaping Future Business Leaders

For 168 years, Immaculate Conception High School (ICHS) in St. Andrew has been shaping the minds, character, and aspirations of young Jamaican women.

Renowned for its strong tradition of academic excellence and holistic development, ICHS remains one of Jamaica’s most prestigious and sought-after secondary institutions for girls.

While the school is traditionally renowned for its academic achievements, it has also been making a concerted effort to distinguish itself in a range of non-academic disciplines, including sports, dance, drama, and swimming, among others.

The institution is now seeking to establish itself in the field of business through the annual staging of its ‘Young Entrepreneurs Day’, an initiative designed to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and inspire innovation among its students.

The expo, held on the school’s campus, features an array of booths where students showcase their creativity and entrepreneurial talents through a diverse range of products and services, including food, pastries, arts and crafts, books, crocheted items, textiles, and other innovative offerings.

Chair of the initiative, Sherida Bailey, tells JIS News that the programme was born out of a passion for nurturing young talent and empowering the next generation of leaders.

She notes that the event has played a key role in nurturing students’ natural inclination toward innovation and creativity.

Ms. Bailey adds that the platform provides valuable opportunities for participants to showcase their ideas, gain exposure, and receive constructive feedback that can help them refine their products and services.

She says the event, which has been held annually for the past four years, continues to gain momentum, with the 2026 staging emerging as the largest to date.

“The students really love this. They love to engage, they love to showcase what they have, [and] their talents,” Ms. Bailey adds.

She emphasises that the goal of the event is not just to spark their interest in business, but to empower them to start profitable ventures.

Ms. Bailey notes that many of the girls who participate already possess the drive, creativity, and skills needed to succeed in business, and that the school’s role is to partner with them in nurturing, developing, and strengthening those talents.

“We want to identify those who are really serious about taking their initiative, their talents, their skills, and really putting those on a platform that is more lucrative and helpful to society,” she adds.

The Chair says that, going forward, Immaculate Conception High will seek to forge additional partnerships to provide mentorship, guidance, and practical support for aspiring young entrepreneurs as they prepare to enter the mainstream business environment.

One of the event’s sponsors, the Young Entrepreneurship Association (YEA), awarded one-year scholarships to several of the top performers to help strengthen and grow their businesses.

Ms. Bailey advidses the school is open to exploring additional forms of entrepreneurship training, including specialised courses, as it continues to seek innovative ways to engage students and help them develop their skills and talents.

N’Zaire Young, one of the participants in this year’s staging of the initiative, recently launched her vegan lip gloss brand – ‘Glosseria’

She tells JIS News that Young Entrepreneurs Day provided a valuable platform to showcase her talent, creativity, and business venture to a wider audience.

Ms. Young shares that her inspiration for participating in the event stemmed from a desire to create a beauty product specifically designed for girls with sensitive skin.

“It’s a lip gloss that uses vegan products. It’s gluten-free and it’s good for your skin; so it won’t cause any allergic reactions that other people face when they use other brands of lip gloss,” she explains.

Her vision for the business is to develop a full range of beauty products that cater specifically to girls who want to wear makeup, but have sensitive skin.

Ms. Young admits that the process of developing her product has helped her cultivate several positive character traits.

“[I have] become more confident and more outgoing, being able to showcase what I can do with my skills and not be shy. I’m able to show people… what other companies are able to do, but are just not doing,” she tells JIS News.

Ms. Young says plans are currently underway to have her products stocked in local stores and pharmacies across the island.

She is encouraging other young people not to let fear hold them back, but instead to be bold and pursue their dreams.

The annual expo, held on the grounds of Immaculate High, features an array of booths where students showcase their creativity and entrepreneurial talents through a diverse range of products and services, including food, pastries, arts and crafts, books, crocheted items, and textiles.

This year’s sponsors included the Young Entrepreneurship Association (YEA), Super Valu Fresh Foods, Electrical Depot, Lucky Crab Seafood Bar and Grill, and the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ).