Flavio Tizon ’13

“My life before The Met was really crazy and if you meet me now you would not believe it. My middle school years were horrible for me because, from grades 6-8, I was kicked out of every school I went to. Then in 9th grade I got into La Salle Academy.  I went in wanting to be a lawyer because it seemed that they made lots of money. Because of continuing behavior problems, the dean at La Salle suggested I try going to The Met and, if I wanted, I could return junior year. I was really sad that day but was curious about The Met. By May of my freshman year I was back at a public school – The Met. But this one was different. My teachers seemed liked big brothers/sisters and they treated us like adults. I finished my freshman year at The Met and left that summer wanting to come back. In November of my sophomore year I met Ed Alves, the mentor for Big Picture Soda.  When I heard him speaking to someone about sales, accounts, and business, I got excited. I told Ed I wanted to work with him and he introduced me to the business world. I loved working with Big Picture Soda and then I met Jodie Woodruff, Director of the Entrepreneurship program. She was very interesting and had a passion for entrepreneurship. I signed up for her class and got accepted. E360 is a college level business course that teaches the basics of starting and running a business. This class gave me confidence and I found out my real passion is entrepreneurship! Sometimes I look back at the meeting I had with my dean at La Salle and I need to thank him for kicking me out and suggesting The Met. Now, I am succeeding in school, I have a business, and am working with CVS and other partners to expand my business.”