Profile: Talon’s Career Goal Is Sports Writing

Talon Cooper may look like the average kid from New Haven, but he has already traveled to Australia, New Zealand and Italy. Cooper went to those countries and more with the People to People Ambassador Program from age five. But his favorite location may surprise you. It’s Martha’s Vineyard. “Martha’s Vineyard is beautiful, and I just love Massachusetts,’’ he said.

Profile: Mahleik A Future Footwear Designer

At 16, Mahleik Crawford of Hartford has already earned more than $600 – selling sneakers to Connecticut teens. It’s the love of sneakers that pushed Crawford to start his own business, and he admits he “likes to make money,’’ too. He sells much of his merchandise through social media, using Instagram, Facebook and good old fashioned word of mouth. He also likes to design his own footwear and hopes to some day have investors to back him to market his own brand of sneakers. He hopes to work with either Nike or Adidas.