![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. [The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jess] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
While surfing with his dad along the Moroccan coast in 2023, Elia Blot-Lefevre (’26) could not ignore the unsettling amount of litter floating in the sea. After catching a wave brimming with plastic, Blot-Lefevre said he felt truly exposed to the gravity of ocean pollution. Blot-Lefevre and his father made an attempt to clear up the beach.
“We left thinking we had cleaned up quite a bit,” Blot-Lefevre said. “The issue was it was windy so we could see the trash cans with plastic flying out of them. There was really nothing we could do at a large scale between just the two of us.”
After seeing the polluted Moroccan shoreline, Blot-Lefevre developed a desire to combine his concern for ocean pollution with his interest in business and entrepreneurship.
“There was an opportunity there which could really bring people’s awareness to what’s actually going on because it’s not normal,” Blot-Lefevre said. “It shouldn’t be happening.”
In 2023, Blot-Lefevre founded Osean, a business with a mission to revitalize the marine ecosystem through beach clean-ups and collecting plastic waste. However, Blot-Lefevre said Osean is still in developmental stages due to bureaucratic challenges.
“It’s a very long process because it’s international work and that takes a lot of licensing,” Blot-Lefevre said. “It’s going to be a long road, but hopefully, I’d say in the next year or two it could be well established. There’s no point in rushing it.”
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Moreover, Blot-Lefevre said the business faced further obstacles after he was made aware of the prevalence of organized crime in the waste collection industry due to union involvement. As a result, Blot-Lefevre said he had to find alternatives to the locations he originally planned for Osean to operate in, which the school helped him with.
“I was lucky to have such a good teacher in my social studies class, Mr. Gladis, who’s really helping me with everything,” he said. “The entire network that you get from the school is amazing. The teachers, the quality of the teachers that know so much.”
Despite him only being 15 years old, Osean was not Blot-Lefevre’s first business venture. Having developed an interest in the entrepreneurial field during middle school, Blot-Lefevre began reselling watches and shoes for cheap prices at 14 years old, though he yearned for larger-scale opportunities.
In 2019, Blot-Lefevre established his first large entrepreneurial project, EBL Media, a marketing agency that works to help clients develop websites and social media accounts through the company’s consultations.
Blot-Lefevre said EBL Media grew into a successful agency, focusing on supporting customers learning to use platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.
Within a few months, Blot-Lefevre said he had secured his first client and was making “quite a bit of money.” Nonetheless, he said he began to struggle with managing his large sums of profit and was worried he became “too comfortable with the money [he] was making at that age.”
After feeling like he had “made it already” and succeeded with his business, Blot-Lefevre said his desire to dedicate himself lessened, leading him to lose his client. Consequently, Blot-Lefevre said he reflected on his actions and objectives for the future, remodifying his attitude and work ethic.
“You really have to work like all the time, and you can’t let go because, you know, when you do let go, bad things happen,” Blot-Lefevre said.
As such, Blot-Lefevre said it has been difficult to manage both his school work and his businesses, alongside other hobbies.
“I still hang out with my friends all the time,” Blot-Lefevre said. “It’s no different than who I was before I started. It’s just that now, instead of playing football, I have this and that’s my goal to drive as far as I can.”
Ultimately, Blot-Levfevre said he feels most fulfilled watching his companies grow as a result of his tireless commitment.
“It was never about the money,” Blot-Lefevre said. “It’s just about, you know, the adrenaline, and the drive you get from building these companies.”
Looking forward, Blot-Lefevre said he plans to prioritize Osean and its upcoming official launch, which he intends to complete through diligent prioritization.
“It’s really about just keeping up the work, communicating and being confident in what you do,” Blot-Lefevre said. “If you’re ever going to start a business, definitely learn before you start to see the best overview of the market.”
This story was originally published on The Standard on March 18, 2024.