Ability to Engage Awards Ohio Business Week Scholarships

Columbus, OH, October 21, 2017 --(PR.com)-- One business owner is giving back to the camp that sparked her entrepreneurial dreams as a high school student.

Ida Abdalkhani, Chief Catalyzer and Founder at Ability to Engage, a consumer research and business innovation firm, provided full scholarships for two teenagers to attend Ohio Business Week (OBW). The program is the only weeklong in-residence business and entrepreneurship camp in the state.

Alex Gleason, of Lehman Catholic High School in Shelby County, and Rohit Kishinchand, of Centerville High School in Montgomery County, each were awarded $500 scholarships to attend OBW in July.

During the camp, students from across the state collaborate and receive guidance from professional mentors as they create and pitch a business plan before a panel of judges. For many teens, OBW provides an introduction to the business world and their first hands-on entrepreneurial experience.

“I learned how it truly felt to be part of a company,” Ability to Engage scholarship recipient Alex Gleason says. “I learned how important communication is, and how different parts of the company work together to make their own product. I really enjoyed how people from all around the state came and were able to bond despite the multitude of backgrounds.”

Abdalkhani is a long-time supporter of OBW, serving on the organization’s board of trustees. She attended the camp for two consecutive summers as a teen and credits OBW with inspiring her to study business in college.

“I learned about entrepreneurship there and it was an amazing new world to me,” says Abdalkhani, who earned her MBA at The Ohio State University. “I always had an entrepreneurial side, but didn't really know that's what it was called until I went to the camp. If I hadn't had the experience at OBW, then I might not have been as focused as I was in college.”

Ability to Engage is an award-winning firm of creative thinkers and strategists that build and catalyze deeper, more meaningful connections with audiences. A2E helps brands develop marketing communications, product ideas, brand strategies and consumer segmentations. The A2E team also develops and facilitates innovation sessions, strategic meetings and team effectiveness workshops. Clients include start-up companies, international government groups, and some of the world’s largest and most respected companies in brand and marketing, such as Clorox, ConAgra Foods, McGraw Hill, PepsiCo, Pfizer and Procter & Gamble.