CHICAGO (WGN) — Stephen Mitchell Jr., a 12-year-old sixth grader at Bronzeville Classical School in Chicago, has earned multiple awards for math, poetry and robotics. Along with his stellar academics, “Stevie” is also passionate about track and tennis.
But he has his eyes set on becoming an entrepreneur one day: Stevie says he wants to own a Chick-fil-A by the time he’s 25 years old.
“You want to do something that you love and not something that will just get you this money, but something that you actually enjoy and wake up always wanting to go there,” Stevie said.
He already has a “future operator” name tag and even dressed up as his mentor for Halloween, Kareem Edwards, a loving father and the owner/operator of a local Chick-fil-A.
“[Stevie’s] father expressed to me that he dressed as me for Halloween, which blew my mind and as a young kid, I always aspired to be a business owner and mentor, and hopefully be a positive role model,” said Edwards. “So to see Stevie in all the greatness he has and play any role in his life was surreal and rewarding.”
To keep things moving in the right direction, Stevie’s interning with Kareem this summer to learn. Stevie says he’s going to be learning “different strategies to make sure you’re getting the right profit and saving money.”
For Stevie, the thought of going into business is not just about making money, but opening doors of opportunity for his community.
“I think as a Chick-fil-A owner/operator, I can help the people around me and my community,” said the 12-year-old. “Like I said, I want to create jobs for other people and to create opportunities.”
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