Tamaqua Area High School junior Carson Farber walked away with two scholarships from the recent grand finale of the IGNITE Schuylkill Youth Program.

Farber, who also studies at the Schuylkill Technology Center, was among the seven student finalists who presented their business ideas to judges at the event hosted by the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce at Orwigsburg Veterans Community Memorial Hall.

His business — Market Yourself — caught the judges’ attention, earning him a $2,000 flexible scholarship to Lehigh Carbon Community College and a $10,000 scholarship to Alvernia University.

The idea for Market Yourself came easily, Farber said.

“Many of the older businesses around here are more traditionally based and do not use social media for community engagement,” Farber noted. “So that’s what my company was mainly about: trying to boost social media awareness for these companies.”

He estimated that about eight weeks of work went into research and preparation.

The finale also marked the culmination of IGNITE, a 16-week entrepreneurial development program held at Penn State Schuylkill. The program aims to address the real-world obstacles faced by first-time business owners. The program included intensive business education, mentorship and hands-on preparation presented by local experts who have done it firsthand.

“The IGNITE Schuylkill Youth Program exemplifies the Chamber and its Foundation’s commitment to fostering local talent and driving economic development by investing in the next generation of business leaders,” according to the Chamber.

“I’m glad that I’m getting a lot of engagement from it — I never thought I would,” Farber said.

Farber plans to attend college after he graduates in 2026. He is currently looking at Bloomsburg University, Alvernia University and Penn State Schuylkill.

Farber is the son of Tanya Farber of Tamaqua.

Other finalists were Alex Warke and Delaney Burns from Blue Mountain High School; Kira Nagle from Gillingham Charter School; Keeshaun King from Pottsville Area High School; Ali Alolaki from Mahanoy Area High School; and Aiyana George from Pine Grove Area High School.

For more information about the IGNITE Schuylkill Youth Program, visit www.schuylkillchamber.com/igniteschuylkillyouthprogram.