CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Charlotte University on the west side is one of two Carolina colleges part of a new program to pair students with jobs right in their community.

  • Johnson C. Smith University is hosting the first-ever U.S. Small Business Administration Entrepreneurial Summit
  • Organizers say it's a way to give minority-owned companies a helping hand
  • Students can also interview with business owners and shadow them

Johnson C. Smith University is hosting the first-ever U.S. Small Business Administration Entrepreneurial Summit, which gets students and entrepreneurs in the same room.

Organizers say it's a way to give minority-owned companies a helping hand in finding qualified candidates next door. The neighborhood is a hubzone, where the SBA says not enough businesses move to or recruit the mostly minority residents.

Students like JCSU senior Ashtin Wright say it's the support they need to further innovative ideas. He's already started a T-shirt business, Wright says.

“I was going to do something that was going to benefit me and the people around me," he said.

Students also have a chance to interview with business owners and shadow them.