BECKLEY W.Va. (WVDN) – Troy Langva, a university student from the University of St. Thomas – Minnesota, is helping families this summer with their at-home learning. His hometown being in Minnesota, he’s participating in a long-standing sales and leadership program that finds him talking to thousands of families and learning the ins and outs of running a business in Raleigh County. He is living in Beckley with a local family who is hosting him for the summer.
Langva, a Computer Engineering major, has spent the summer with Southwestern Advantage, the nation’s oldest entrepreneurial program for college students. Southwestern Advantage has conducted the program since 1868 – just after the Civil War. The company offers students the opportunity to learn how to manage their own business, gain valuable soft skills not often taught in a classroom, and help offset their educational expenses. Each summer, around 1,500 students from over 200 college and university campuses worldwide participate.
Langva, visiting families at their homes through referrals and cold-calls, says he has felt very welcome in Raleigh County and that the products he has shared have been well received by families. In addition to meeting new people and helping with what is sometimes a pain point in the home (learning & homework), Langva is grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow from an experience that is not-so-common as it once was: door-to-door sales. While it can be challenging, it can be very rewarding as well.
He’s excited about the skillset he is acquiring and his resume experience will now include many new things that will help him land a future job and set him apart from peers. A few of those things include goal-setting, schedule, communication, problem-solving, money management, and many other skills.
Learn more about Troy’s summer adventures and his insight into your community by setting up a time to talk to him.
