Junior Achievement of Central Texas recognizes the following volunteers for their exceptional dedication and service to our schools and, most importantly, to our students this year.
"These volunteers are a valuable part of making Junior Achievement so successful in our Central Texas schools," Taylor Vogelsang, president of Junior Achievement of Central Texas. "They bring their personal and professional experiences to students in this community, and it has helped make the connection between what students learn in school and what they will need to succeed in work and life."
We recognize Kendrick Barnet with City of Austin, Eric Browne with Nimail3 Business Solutions, Stacy Knight with H-E-B and Katherine Sobel with PeopleFund as Emerging Volunteer Leaders. Each one has volunteered for less than three years with JA of Central Texas yet have already made an impact in the classroom and in our organization by taking on multiple classroom assignments and going above and beyond connecting with students. We look forward to building relationships with these volunteers and impacting more students.
Our Excellence in Volunteering Award goes to Ali Wittich with Publicis Sapient, and David Gonzalez of EY. These volunteers have not only taught in the classroom, but have also joined our local planning committees to shape the future of JA of Central Texas. They help to guide our fundraising, planning and outreach efforts. We are grateful for their collaboration.
JA Champion Volunteers have not only dedicated multiple years to JA of Central Texas but also shown distinguished service to the organization. We recognize the following volunteers as crucial to our success.
Jullie Strippoli with Charles Schwab started volunteering with Junior Achievement in middle school classrooms more than ten years ago. Since then she has participated in teaching elementary, middle and high school programs. She helped create and serve as a chair of the JA F.E.M. Forum Executive Committee, an event for professionals and students focused on financial equity for women. Her role with JA has continued to evolve and meet the needs of the dynamic Austin community.
William “Bill” Taylor has been volunteering with Junior Achievement for more than 30 years. When he began his career with 3M he was already a dedicated JA volunteer and stipulated that he needed time to continue to volunteer in the classroom. He has since retired from 3M, but not from JA. He continues to volunteer with elementary, middle and high school students. He has even led an award-winning group of teens with the JA Company Program. This Program unlocks the innate ability in high school students to fill a need or solve a problem in their community by launching a business venture and unleashing their entrepreneurial spirit. Bill is an ever-ready and dedicated volunteer whose kindness and ability to connect with students forms the foundation of our volunteer program.
"All of our volunteers have helped reinforce the value of an education to countless students," Vogelsang said. "These volunteers are a wonderful example of how one person can make such a huge difference in the lives of young people in our community."
Locally, Junior Achievement serves approximately 5,000 students each year in the Austin area. JA volunteers are a part of a national network of business and community volunteers who are helping young people develop the competence, confidence, and character needed for success in school, work, and life.
We couldn’t do what we do without the dedication of our volunteers. Please join us in a round of applause for the 2020 JACT Volunteer Award winners! Congratulations!
