Valley Stream student meets Obama

Many of Nia Froome’s entrepreneurial dreams came true when she was named the winner of the 2010 Oppenheimer Funds/NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge at a New York City ceremony on Oct. 5.

Inspired by a matter near and dear to her heart, the Valley Stream resident created a successful business plan for a vegan bakery that earned not only a $10,000 grand prize but an unforgettable trip to meet the president of the United States.

After attending a camp with the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship last summer, the 17-year-old senior at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn combined her passions for baking and business to start Mamma Nia’s Vegan Bakery, a home-based business. Froome, an avid baker and cook, began crafting alternative vegan recipes when her mother, Dawn, began a battle with breast cancer several years ago. NFTE, an international nonprofit organization that encourages entrepreneurship among high school students, helped Nia polish her business plan.

“I presented them with a business plan and they liked it,” she said. “I was inspired to start the bakery ever since my mom was diagnosed. I came up with alternative recipes so she could eat them.”

Though Froome had originally planned to be a doctor, her mother’s illness — and reading about Mrs. Field’s cookies — eventually led her from her house to the White House on Oct. 12, where she got to talk to President Obama.

“My first reaction when I met the president was shock and disbelief,” she said. “It was overwhelming. I jumped back. But it was an honor and really cool.”

During their audience, Obama congratulated Froome along with the contest runners-up. “He said he was so proud of us,” she said. “He told us he couldn’t wait to see our businesses running the country.”

After taking a train to Washington, Froome went through several security checks before she reached the Oval Office. And though she returned home to Long Island on a 9 p.m. train that night, Froome said she would cherish the memory for the rest of her life.

For now, she is busy completing her senior year and deciding which colleges to apply to in December. She is looking to move her bakery into a commercial space, using some of her prize money. But more important, a large portion of her winnings will go to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization, to fight breast cancer.

Not surprisingly, Dawn Froome is very proud of her daughter. “I love Nia’s commitment to her studies and passion for baking,” she said. “I love her desire to do her best in all she sets out to do.”