November is National Entrepreneurship Month, and I serve on the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Southeast Advisory Board. I have seen firsthand that entrepreneurship can be a path to economic prosperity and a bright future. And here in Florida, NFTE is serving 40,000 youth across the state. Yes, 40,000!

Here are the facts. NFTE alumni are 12.5x more likely to start a business than young adults in general. 96% of NFTE seniors are on track to graduate high school on time, compared to less than 80% among their peers.

• $500 donated supports a student for a year
• 1 in 4 students go on to start a business
• Every $2,000 raised is effectively starting a new business

I am constantly inspired by the creativity, resilience, and drive of the young people we serve. I am also grateful that my company, Popular Bank, continues to live our corporate values through deep employee volunteer engagement with NFTE. When you get involved and give to NFTE, you are not just supporting a program, you are creating opportunities for the next generation.