Camden, NJ- Thursday, October 17, 2024- LAEDA celebrated their annual graduation ceremony for the Entrepreneurial Development Training Program and The Women’s Business Academy. The graduation was held at The Salvation Army Kroc Community Center in Camden, NJ. The graduating classes included the sessions from Fall 2023-Session 97, Winter 2024- Session 98 and Spring 2024-Session 99.

As the room opened up to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduates in the room, Raymond L. Lamboy, President & CEO of LAEDA expressed how proud he is of all the graduates and mentioned their accomplishments and their class sessions and seasons, welcomed and thanked LAEDA, Inc. Professionals, Board Members, Faculty, Supporters (Corporate and Public partners) and Individual donors for giving graduates the needed opportunity and resources to meet their goals and help their business stand where they want it to; he handled over the mic to Jose Mercado, Board Chair Board Member of LAEDA who filled the room with valuable words amongst the following: “Tonight we have many graduates representing different businesses and I congratulate all of them on their successes and hardwork, tonight is special to highlight all the opportunities that are open to each of you, you have recognized the challenges of entrepreneurs and learned all about it and you have also learned the art of building relationships and connections and LAEDA is here for you with your continued success into the business ventures and your journey.

Afterward each team member of the LAEDA family came up and filled the room with inspirational words and reflected on the past year and all the hard work the graduates and the instructors put into their work:

-It is not easy to start a business let alone grow it and keep it sustainable

-Our instructors influence extends far beyond the classroom, inspiring growth, innovation and excellence in every student

-Our practical program helps to operate and grow those businesses

-Class evaluations’ lets us know how we are doing, what the students are learning and how we can create more of a positive impact and learning environment on a continuum basis along with an opportunity to anonymously discuss the effectiveness of the content, the instructor’s engagement and any additional feedback they wish to share

-We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of our instructor’s, both those present today and those who could not join us for their time, effort and generosity in sharing their knowledge with the class of 2024

-The Buy Camden 1st Initiative (BC1st) is a joint effort of the City of Camden (the City) and the Latin American Economic Development Association, Inc. (LAEDA), to leverage the economic potential of anchor corporations, institutions and governmental procurement opportunities.

These individuals have put 75 hours toward instruction and we all worked together as a team to work on goals and be ready for graduation

Raymond L. Lamboy mentioned that we are celebrating in addition to all the graduates two milestones as well: We are currently in our 100 session of our nine week business training program and our new LAEDA logo was presented.

The class representatives were selected based on their personality, professionalism, and public speaking abilities. The class representatives for 2024 were Salina Singleton of (Wonderful Me Media, LLC) for EDTP Fall 2023-Session 97, T’Kemia Gibson-Daniels of (Abkinah’s Islamic Boutique) for WBA Winter 2024- Session 98, and Nancy Ruiz of (C2C Education Group, LLC) for EDTP Spring 2024- Session 99. Below, are excerpts from their graduation speeches:

-Salina Singleton: “LAEDA really cares and continues to provide opportunities to network, and give resources to grow in an ever changing world and our session still keeps in touch because LAEDA has taught us all about the importance of networking.”

-T’Kemia Gibson-Daniels: “LAEDA helped me learn the business side of my business and opened up many doors and provided me with a wealth of knowledge that I can use today and carry it forward and in addition I am able to live an enriching life with my family and friends because of how I was able to transform my business through the help of LAEDA.”

-Nancy Ruiz: “LAEDA provided me with an experience filled with growth, discovery and learning and I am grateful for the guidance and wisdom that LAEDA, the program and the instructors provided and now we are all better business professionals and leaders and we have the strength of a successful team that all of us gathered through our life long class connections.”

-We recognized the instructor of the year from which students have expressed overwhelming appreciation, fondness, and admiration by giving her the honor of Instructor of the Year. This year’s award goes to Marketing Instructor, Ms. Trina Allen. Thank you for teaching our students so much valuable information that they can carry with them on their business journey.

Next, the graduates were called to the stage to receive their certifications and take pictures with the LAEDA staff.

Jamila Powell, Women’s Business Center Program Manager, welcomed the Citizen’s Bank Staff onto the stage and thanked them for partnering with LAEDA to provide our alumni with a special opportunity to win some money by pitching about their businesses.

The night concluded with endless applause from the audience and pictures that captured these valuable moments.

LAEDA prepares entrepreneurs for the entrepreneurial world and the doors within LAEDA help toward building upon your goals and climbing those steps toward success one-step at a time because each step is valuable and essential in building that successful business venture and setting up a sustainable business. The classes teach students the building blocks of opening up and operating a business.

The Entrepreneurial Development Training Program and Women’s Business Center have graduated 1,188 students, creation of 654 businesses and created 1401 jobs in the city of Camden and throughout South Jersey. LAEDA has been empowering people and revitalizing the community to start and grow businesses in Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, Atlantic and Cumberland Counties in New Jersey. If you are ready to become an entrepreneur and or business owner, Call LAEDA at (856) 338-1177 or visit us on the Web at: www.LAEDA.com for more information and to help you get started and going on your entrepreneurial journey.

Before the night ended all attendees enjoyed food from our alumna Aunt Berta’s Kitchen and the pictures of the evening were taken by another alumna, TeresArt Photography.