College Virtual Enterprise (VE) is one of the many business electives that Wantagh High School offers for students with an interest in business. The class, taught by Mrs. O’Connor, is open to juniors and seniors. VE isn’t a typical classroom environment—it’s run like a business. Each year the students in the class choose a business to create and work in a department of their choosing. 

This year, Wantagh’s VE class chose the name RiseUp+ for their business, a fitness company that promotes productivity and fitness through the use of smartwatch technology. RiseUp+ is broken down into six different departments. There are four seniors who manage competitions and plan events for the company. Brooke Minogue is the Chief Executive Officer and Sarah Magoloff is the Chief Human Resources Operator. Justin Bifone is the Chief Operating Officer. The finance department is run by Chief Financial Officer Dominic DiMatteo. The sales department is run by Chief Sales Officer Joseph Robbins, and Kyle Conklin is the Chief Marketing Officer. There is even a technology department, managed by Emily McGeown.

The Virtual Enterprise class goes on a variety of field trips throughout the year where they participate in trade shows. Most recently, RiseUp+ traveled to Long Island University, where they had a trade show booth set up and presented their business plan to a panel of judges. They even ended up winning two silver medals for the competitions they entered—one for Sales Material and the other for the Newsletter. In March, they will host a trade show here at Wantagh High School, and they’re very excited about that as well.

Once a month, RiseUp+ announces a new employee of the month who has dedicated their time to help the firm prosper: the Human Resources department chooses an employee to ensure their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. In November, the employee of the month was Jack Friedfertig, their finance associate. In December, the employee of the month was Anthony Clem, their sales manager. Most recently, in January, the employee of the month was Alex Roumbus, their marketing associate. 

Overall, if you’re interested in pursuing a career in business and looking for a class to help get you some experience, Virtual Enterprise is the perfect class for you. Always remember, “Be wise, let’s rise!”