Way to Go: Tatiana Leftenant, Copiague

A Copiague Middle School student has won a prestigious award for starting a business selling shea butter and other skin treatments, such as body washes, sea salts and moisturizers.

Tatiana Leftenant, a seventh-grader, was named "Teenpreneur of the Year" at the 2015 Black Enterprise Entrepreneur Summit in Atlanta last month. The three-day event drew both established business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Tatiana, 12, was selected for her business Sheascents LLC, which sells more than 30 scents of shea butter as well as other products.

"I hope to expand it even further, because I want to be a multimillionaire before the age of 20," said Tatiana, who was up against two college-age contestants for the award.

Her own difficulties with eczema -- a medical condition that causes skin to be inflamed and irritated -- gave her the idea to develop the products, she said. Various creams she had used on her arms and legs caused burning sensations, so she decided to create alternatives.

She said a representative of the Black Enterprise Entrepreneur Summit nominated her for the "Teenpreneur" honor after spotting her selling the products at a booth in Valley Stream's Green Acres Mall in the days before Christmas.

Tatiana said she has sold about 1,500 items this year. Her products can be found online at mysheascents.com.