Arooj Ahmad and the rest of the Young Entrepreneurs club have finalized plans to open the Catfé — a small coffee stop open to LHS students and staff — next week. The Catfé will sell coffee provided by Hansa Coffee Roasters from its location in the concession area across from the main gym.
While the Young Entrepreneurs, or YE, will only sell coffee to start, they plan to expand their menu in the future to potentially include teas and breakfast snacks. Members of YE feel that something like the Catfé is long overdue for Libertyville students.
“Basically, we’re trying to solve a problem,” explained Ahmad, a seasoned businessman from his work with Swapidy, Volume, and Manifest. “Students come in the early morning tired, groggy; they basically don’t know what they’re doing.”
Dr. Debra Kellum, the supervisor of YE and the Catfé project, had an even broader vision for the coffee stand when she first sprouted the idea of the Catfé over a year ago. She noticed the way students constantly interacted with one another, and felt that LHS was missing a spot for students to catch up.
“I can see it being this new place for kids just to hang out and have a chance to reconnect…I see it more like a ‘Friends’ coffeehouse — you just hang out and socialize,” Dr. Kellum shared, referencing the fictional “Central Perk” from the popular television show.
After she crafted the idea, Dr. Kellum turned to her YE members to take the idea and make it happen. Ahmad picked up the idea and spearheaded the project, along with seniors Collin Apgar and Chris Akers. The harmonious relationship between the supervisor and the supervised has been essential to getting the Catfé off of the ground.
Akers had praise for Dr. Kellum and her role in launching the Catfé: “She’s kind of one of us. She doesn’t take on the role of supervisor, she has more of a companion role. It makes it a lot easier to work with,” he offered.
In addition to Dr. Kellum’s laid-back yet helpful hand of experience, the work ethic and determination of the Ahmad, Akers, Apgar, or “The A Team,” among other helpers in YE, has been crucial for the Catfé. Dr. Kellum speaks highly of the entrepreneurial spirit of her younger counterparts.
“They are definitely movers and shakers, and they definitely want to make things happen,” Dr. Kellum said. “They’re excited to try new things, and as the administration and myself have constantly been making changes, they’re very receptive to those ideas.”
While the seniors spearheading the Catfé are busy now, new leaders will have to step in and fill the holes they create come graduation. He isn’t sure who will inherit the responsibilities of the Catfé, but Ahmad is looking forward to what the future has to offer.
“The future of Catfé is exciting in the sense that there is a vision,” he shared. “I’m excited to accelerate it to the point where it reaches that level of momentum.”
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