New York, N.Y. - July 28, 2006 - Four New York City students in the National Urban League's Incentives To Excel and Succeed (NULITES) youth initiative have won the highly competitive and coveted 2006 "Making the Business: Youth IT Challenge" awards competition.

The winners include: Cassius Flemming of Rice High School, Jose Gomez and Roseline Idoko of Murry Bergtraum High School, and Audrey Monday of Legacy High School.

Contestants in the IT business competition were asked to create an entrepreneurial business that shows great promise and utilizes technology in its business applications. Team Creative Solutions, Inc.'s business plan specializes in providing consumers a personal and interactive method for shopping online.

"The Youth IT Challenge Awards represent a tremendous opportunity to teach our youth about creating economic development for self and community," said Marc H. Morial, chief executive officer & president of the National Urban League. "It is a great example of how the IT industry can create digital opportunities in the African-American community in the areas of careers, business development, and office solutions."

The competition, established by the National Urban League and Microsoft, provides students in participating cities a 10-week program to learn and develop a business concept. Student teams in each participating city present their plan to a panel of experts, with winners chosen to advance to the national competition including, an all-expense paid three-day trip to the NULITES Leadership Summit taking place at the National Urban League Convention in Atlanta, Ga.

"Each of these kids is a testament to the power, potential and creativity of youth in today's marketplace. They are the future, and from what they have achieved at such a young age, not only through their business acumen but through their passion for their communities, I can say without a doubt, our community's future is very bright," Morial said.

"Microsoft is proud to have helped found the Youth IT Challenge program and to have supported it over the past four years as part of our overall effort to promote economic development and digital opportunities for today's youth," Jose Pi￱ero, diversity director for Microsoft, said. "Over 160 young people- America's next generation of business leaders-have benefited from the program since its inception and we are pleased to see them giving back to their communities in such an extraordinary way."

Launched in 1989, NULITES, with 57 official chapters associated with Urban League affiliates in 26 states, aims to promote and maintain high standards of wellbeing and character among young people. Every year, NULITES holds a leadership summit on the campus of a historically black college or university near the site of the National Urban League's annual conference.

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