After senior Elana Greenberg’s endoscopy, she declined the hospital nurse’s offer to write her a note to excuse her from prior obligations. She also refused to “take it easy,” like the nurse suggested. Instead, Greenberg told the nurse she had to get back to her daily activities because she had to help get press releases out.

During her sophomore year, Greenberg co-founded a non-profit organization called Write the Future. Its purpose is to donate pencils to underprivileged children in impoverished countries.

“The nurse just looked at her … [and said], ‘You just gave me a renewed sense in people, like a renewed hope that people really are good,’” Elana Greenberg’s mother, Lisa Greenberg, said.

Junior Zoe Engels, co-founder of Write the Future, had been inspired by social studies teacher David Vincent when he showed pictures in class of children begging for pencils and then approached her about starting a non-profit organization. So far, the organization has provided pencils to six schools in Honduras and two schools in Cuba when Vincent took a school trip there.

“We had made an actual difference, not just working, working, working and not knowing what was going to happen,” Elana Greenberg said.

To start the organization, it had to have a board member who was at least 18 years old, so Elana Greenberg’s grandfather joined. Now he helps with the accounting and tax forms.

According to Elana Greenberg, everyone in her family is an entrepreneur, including her aunts and uncles, grandparents and parents.

“At the dinner table especially, we would always talk about what’s going on in the business world,” said Lisa Greenberg. “I know my mom always has the MarketWatch on. There’s always been talk about those kinds of topics. Our dinner table and the types of people we hang out with are always very business-minded people where the talk has always been what’s going on, problems they’ve encountered, just different things.”

Elana Greenberg said that besides wanting to be a painter when she was 5 years old, she has always wanted to be a businesswoman.

“I guess it’s just in my blood,” said Elana Greenberg. “I took Intro to Business [at Glenbrook North], and then I guess that’s what really started the ball rolling.”

She also participates in DECA, a business club, and Voices: The Chicago Jewish Teen Foundation, a program to learn about and experience professional philanthropy through raising money and allocating grants to charities.

“DECA helps me apply what I learn to help make it more real,” said Elana Greenberg. “You get more real life experience in DECA even though it’s just a competition. I’ve learned more in DECA these past two years than I have in high school for four years for career and real life experience.”

DECA adviser Samantha Haugen said she was always able to connect with the few girls on DECA through “girl talk,” but having done her own charitable work in Guatemala when she became a teacher, she can relate to Elana Greenberg’s passion for helping others in need.

“I was able to see a lot of the video footage and the photos she has of these children actually receiving their pencils,” said Haugen. “It was very cool to see that at such a young age she has this business, it is successful and she is making a difference outside of Northbrook. … When I see those photos, it reminds me of why I wanted to be a teacher.”

This year, Elana Greenberg’s DECA project was about Write the Future, and although she may not have made it where she wanted to in a competition, Haugen said she thinks Elana does not look at the competition as a failure because what she has done with the organization is a plan for the future.

At Washington University in St. Louis next year, Elana Greenberg said Write the Future, DECA and Voices will give her an advantage, where she will be able to explore business more in depth and find something specific that will strike her interest.

“Business will always be in her life,” said Lisa Greenberg. “It will definitely be the driving force behind whatever she does. Now it’s just finding the product or market place that’s going to fuel whatever it is.”