Westbrook Regional Vocational students are business-building champions
Two high‑school students from southern Maine are heading to Boston to compete in a national business and entrepreneurship contest. Vladan Napijalo and Evan Gilbert, both students at a local high school, have earned the right to represent their region in the Junior Achievement Future Bound competition, which will take place in Boston this week.
The Future Bound competition is a team‑based challenge that tests students’ knowledge of economics, marketing, and financial literacy. Each team must develop a comprehensive business plan and present it to a panel of judges. The event draws teams from across the United States, with the winner receiving a scholarship and the opportunity to speak at a national forum.
Napijalo and Gilbert were chosen after a rigorous selection process that began with a statewide qualifying round. The judges evaluated each team’s research, teamwork, and presentation skills, and only the top teams earned a spot in Boston. Local parents and teachers praised the students’ hard work and dedication, noting that the competition offers a rare chance to apply classroom lessons to real‑world scenarios.
“Representing southern Maine on the national stage is a tremendous honor,” Napijalo said in a brief interview. “It’s a chance to show what our community can do and to inspire other students to pursue their ambitions.”
Gilbert echoed his teammate’s enthusiasm. “The competition is tough, but we’re ready. We’ve spent months preparing our plan, and we’re excited to test it against the best teams in the country.”
The Boston competition will begin on Thursday, with preliminary rounds followed by finals on Saturday. Winning teams will advance to a national championship in Washington, D.C., later in the month. Napijalo, a junior, and Gilbert, a senior, will travel with a small delegation of school staff and local sponsors who have helped cover travel expenses.
Local business leaders view the competition as an investment in the region’s future. “When young people get this kind of exposure, they come back to our community with new ideas and confidence,” said a local chamber of commerce representative. “We’re proud to support them.”
Napijalo and Gilbert are preparing for the challenge with a mix of late‑night research sessions and mock presentations. Their goal is to not only win the competition but also to bring recognition to southern Maine’s growing emphasis on STEM and entrepreneurship education.
As the event unfolds in Boston, the students will be joined by other teams from across the country, each hoping to make a mark on the national stage and to secure scholarships and future opportunities in business and finance.
