A budding young entrepreneur and University of Victoria student is angling for votes.
Yana Hempler, a third-year commerce student at UVic, is one of six national finalists in the Start Something with Alesse online contest, which offers a $5,000 prize for the top two votegetters to put toward their community project.
Hempler, a Port McNeill native who has also won a Black Press business scholarship three years running, hopes to stage a project in August called YOUNight for Compassion and Fashion. The event is designed to assist initiatives for Victoria’s homeless community and offer valuable exposure for local merchants and aspiring businesspeople.
The most recent votes update she received had her in fifth spot, not far behind the leader. She was hoping this week to give her campaign one last push before the voting closes at midnight today (March 4).
“I think it was just a huge honour to be selected by a panel of judges to be one of the top six,” Hempler said.
A self-confessed lover of fashion who aspires to own a modelling agency, she said the YOUNight event – it would “unite” people from various sectors to work for a common cause – may still happen regardless of the contest vote.
While winning a prize would cover most of the cost of staging the fashion show, she said, she plans to seek sponsorships and donations to raise more for charity.
To cast a vote or read more about Hempler’s project idea, visit https://startsomethingwithalesse.ca/en/finalists/finalist2/.
editor@oakbaynews.com