Stephanie Traber was not fond of the idea of running her own business when she entered a special program at her high school, Miami Southridge Senior.

``I wound up being stuck in an entrepreneur class,'' Traber said.

That class was part of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, called NFTE.

``I didn't think I had the characteristics of being an entrepreneur,'' she said.

``I'm not adjustable to change.''

N.Y. COMPETITION

But perhaps she underestimated herself, because Traber, 19, has gone on to Miami Dade College and will be one of 27 students in New York competing Wednesday for $10,000 in a national student business plan competition, the OppenheimerFunds/NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge.

BUSINESS PLAN

She turned her hobby of making tabletop centerpieces for special occasions into a business called Unique Creations.

She began making them with her family when she was about 10 years old, and morphed that project into a business plan. On average she'll charge about $25 for a centerpiece made of everyday materials -- like paper cups, plates, gift bows, balloons -- transformed to resemble a lamp.

Baby shower-themed pieces are her biggest sellers, but no matter what the occasion, she stresses that no two customers will ever get the same piece.

She's sold about a dozen so far, but she's working on a website to expand the business beyond friends and family.

On Wednesday she gives an eight-minute pitch to a panel of judges. To get there, she first had to conquer several South Florida NFTE competitions, most recently winning the regional finals held at Miami Dade College.

WAITING FOR WORD

But she'll find out Wednesday evening if she'll bring home the championship to South Florida again. Last year's winner, Jessica Cervantes, hailed from Ferguson High and won for her plan for Popsy Cakes, cupcakes on a Popsicle stick. A film about last year's contest, Ten9Eight, will be released in select theaters in November.

The nonprofit NFTE program began nationally in 1987 and is in 22 states -- but South Florida's program launched in 2006. It's now in 21 schools in Miami-Dade County and two in Broward County.