One of the leading global minds on innovation and technology Gary Vaynerchuk, or “GaryVee” as he is known to his 44 million social media followers, spoke to a crowd of more than 500 as the keynote speaker at Palm Beach State College’s Yvonne S. Boice STEAM Luncheon presented by Bank of America on Tuesday, April 16, at the Kravis Center for Performing Arts Cohen Pavilion in West Palm Beach.
The annual luncheon honored the philanthropic legacy of the College’s late friend, STEAM chair and respected pillar in the community Yvonne S. Boice, who passed away last year. Before Vaynerchuk was welcomed on stage, a special portrait of Boice made entirely out of skittles was unveiled by Floridabased artist Harold Claudio.
During the conversational style talk, moderated by Joshua Esnard, entrepreneur and CEO of The Cut Buddy, serial entrepreneur Vaynerchuk spoke about entrepreneurship as his great passion and joy, what he would teach students today, how people can learn grit, what’s wrong with modern parenting, how to stay motivated in business and how artificial intelligence is going to change the future.
At the start of the luncheon, PBSC President Ava L. Parker, J.D., and David Rutherford, vice president of Institutional Advancement and CEO of The Foundation for Palm Beach State College, presented Jermya Adams, 23, a certified nursing assistant, with a full scholarship to PBSC for $25,000 in a surprise announcement. Adams was selected after she saved the life of a local toddler. On April 10, Adams was suddenly awoken by a neighbor’s desperate cries for help. Her neighbor’s 22monthold son had wandered outside and fell into a nearby lake. Although the mother was able to pull the boy out, he was not breathing. Adams quickly performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and thanks to her quick response, the boy is expected to make a full recovery.
The STEAM luncheon aims to increase scholarships, business partnerships and internship opportunities to support students pursuing science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics fields. Other sponsors of the event were the Palm Beach Post as the media sponsor and the South Florida Tech Hub as the marketing sponsor.
For more information, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/foundation/steam.