By Alice Li

On August 10th, 2025, YES officially started the 2025 - 2026 year with the kick-off meeting at Verona Villa in Frisco, Texas, announcing the beginning of another year at the Youth Entrepreneur Society. The event opened with a commemoration of the past year — a heartfelt video filled with beautiful photo collages celebrating the highlights of 2024–2025, setting the tone for the future ahead.

As per tradition, the former president of YES, Sally Wang, welcomed and congratulated our new president, Allen Zhang. The executive team then delivered an informative presentation on YES, its values and goals. They explained the core pillars of YES; Career, Champion, Communication, and Community.

A number of VIPs were invited to the stage to share inspiring words with the audience. Speakers

included Laura Rummel, Mark Hill, David Gu, Chiling Tong, Joel Szabat, Peter Burns, William Tsao, James Huang, and Ivy Sun, all of whom encouraged students to press forward as the builders of tomorrow.

This year’s keynote speaker was Peter Burns — Chairman of the Leadership Frisco Advisory Committee, President of the Frisco Education Foundation, Chairman of the Mind Bender Academy, and much more. He spoke of two things with great symbolization in our lives; the pencil and the ladder. The pencil represents the power to write our own stories — our personal will and vision for the future. Too often, he noted, people relinquish their pencil to others who impose their wishes instead. The ladder represents the support system we need to succeed, and just as a free-standing ladder cannot be climbed, success is difficult without the help of others. He emphasized the importance of communication between parents and children, recognizing that while parents sometimes overshadow a student’s own pencil, they are also the ones holding the ladder steady.

After that inspiring speech by Mr. Burns, a few YES officers introduce ILF, the International Leadership Foundation. The Youth Leadership Academy is also introduced, along with its week long capstone project and presentation.

The officers who had interned at YLA expressed their gratitude for the program, and the insights they gained from the experience. Next, YES had the opportunity to introduce all of its officers for the upcoming year. All the vice presidents and directors introduced their team, and voiced their excitement and anticipation at another wonderful year at YES.

The 2025–2026 kickoff meeting not only celebrated YES’s past accomplishments but also set a strong foundation for the year to come. With a dedicated leadership team, inspiring mentors, and a community driven by innovation and collaboration, the Youth Entrepreneur Society is ready to empower the next generation of leaders — one pencil and one ladder at a time.