E2: Entrepreneurship & Empowerment 2023

We feel lucky to be a part of something so special- watching students leave E2 with their heads held high. We feel grateful to be in the company of our incredibly altruistic volunteers serving as mentors, coaches, and judges. We feel honored to be in the presence of such dedicated educators. We feel proud to have the continued support of the business community that helps to make events like E2 possible.

It is this collaboration of students, volunteers, educators, and the business community that makes JA so impactful, radiating opportunity throughout communities and ultimately the world. High school can be hard. It can really highlight disparities in access to the tools to support success after high school but here at E2 and at other JA experiences in and out of the classroom, young people gather the confidence and courage to believe that opportunity can be for everyone, even them.

Thank you to our esteemed judges!

It was a great event! My students got so much out of it. I saw real time transformation - especially with my freshman, going from being very insecure/nervous to confident and soaring! The coaching was incredibly helpful and supportive!! ~ Tracy Stephens, Educator at Austin High School

“My students really enjoyed the event and are very proud of themselves for getting up on stage.“ ~ Stephanie Matula, Educator at Weiss High School

Jubilee Academy Wells Branch

On November 10 JA worked with Dr. Dovie Williams and 9 first grade through fifth grade teachers at Jubilee Academy - Wells Branch to bring 17 JA trained volunteers from the community into the classroom to lead the JA curriculum and share their stories and professional experiences which plant seeds of curiosity and ambition, impacting over 175 students.

It was a pleasure to have JA and the volunteers on campus to spend the day with our students and expose them to wonderful and necessary financial, career and college material.  Thank you, Dr. Dovie Williams, GearUp site coordinator

 That was really fun, thanks for letting us participate! Harold Yochem, Keystone Bank volunteer

EY Connect Day 2023 at Travis Early College High School

In November at Travis Early College High School, our partners EY, as part of their EY Ripples Program led a series of one day classes in Career Readiness: Tools to find and get the job; Financial Literacy: Understanding Crypto Currency; Entrepreneurship - Developing a Lean Business Plan in 26 CTE and AVID classes, reaching over 600 students.

Working with JA is the best - I truly believe we created some sparks at Travis! Christopher Burns, Director at EY

Delta Job Shadow 2023

Our partners Delta Airlines hosted Ms. Jayma Vaughan’s Hospitality Students at the Austin Bergstrom Airport for a JA Job Shadow. Eight students received a VIP tour of airport operations behind the scenes providing them with more insight on the variety of careers in this industry.

This was truly remarkable! We cannot thank the JA team enough for your consistent and profound commitment to our students. Jayma Vaughn, Hospitality and Culinary Arts Educator

The New Volunteering Landscape

Much has changed since the pandemic, including the ways we work, but also the ways that we volunteer. While the emergence of Work From Home (WFH) and hybrid work models have impacted corporate volunteerism, a new generation of employees, many of whom had never previously volunteered in the workplace, has entered the workforce. To gain a better understanding of how Generation Z perceives volunteering in and out of a place of employment, Junior Achievement (JA) enlisted the help of research firm Ipsos to conduct a multi-generational survey on volunteering. These are the results of an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Junior Achievement between June 8-12 2023.

Click the button below to read the full report.

Greater Austin Business Awards 2023

We are truly honored this year to be included as a finalist for nonprofit impact at the Greater Austin Business Awards!

Coming out of the pandemic, when we joined JA of Southeast Texas as a district to their area, we did not know where that would take us. Through the support of JASET, the growth of our Board, and the continued belief in the JA mission from our corporate and community partners we have been able to serve 18% more students this year, 100% more volunteers, 25% increase in deep impactful experiences, double the classes and brought a new experience to the great Austin area, JA Finance Park.

Cheers to all those in our corner, joining the mission to give the life-changing experiences of JA to more young people in Central Texas!

JA Enters 2024 Rose Parade with “The Beat of Achievement” Float

The UPS Store’s float showcases its support for future small business owners through Junior Achievement USA® and announces $3.6 million donation milestone

SAN DIEGO, OCTOBER 9, 2023 – After winning the “most beautiful float entry” award for three consecutive years, The UPS Store, Inc., returns for the sixth time to participate in the 135th Rose Parade® presented by Honda on January 1, 2024, in Pasadena, California. The UPS Store, Inc., will debut its artistic float, “The Beat of Achievement,” in line with the 2024 Rose Parade musical theme, “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language.” The float will highlight the company’s Start Small, Grow Big program with Junior Achievement USA® in support of the next generation of entrepreneurs and small business owners.

“Thanks to the dedication of our network, generosity of our customers, and collaboration with Junior Achievement, we will continue to uplift our communities with our Start Small, Grow Big program illustrated at the Rose Parade,” said Sarah Casalan Bittle, President of The UPS Store, Inc. “Our float will strike a chord and have the audience and judges tapping their feet and clapping their hands to the beat of achievement.”

Since its inception in August 2022, the Start Small, Grow Big program celebrates surpassing $3.6 million in customer donations across The UPS Store® network of 5,100+ locations that help fund work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy learning experiences for school-aged children involved in Junior Achievement chapters in the United States.  

The UPS Store 2024 Rose Parade float highlights the accomplishments of young, aspiring business leaders from Junior Achievement. The spectacular entry features an animated 35-foot-tall crocodile rapping his way through Pasadena to “The Beat of Achievement.” As the croc’s hip-hop career takes off, a posse of pink flamingos cheers him on. A vibrant puffer vest decorated with custom-grown marigolds complements the croc’s scaly green complexion. The surrounding tropical paradise overflows with tens of thousands of Pink Floyd roses, and a dazzling display of orchids, bromeliads, anthurium and heliconia. The UPS Store integrates one-of-a-kind design, gorgeous floral presentation, and hi-tech animation for the ultimate wow factor.

 The float was designed by Charles Meier and will be built by Fiesta Parade Floats. "I’m so grateful to work with The UPS Store to bring their dynamic vision to life. This float showcases the importance of passing on entrepreneurial skills and financial literacy to today’s youth,” said Meier. “It communicates in a way that is fresh and fun for everyone. A hip-hop crocodile is a perfect example of how The UPS Store expresses imagination and their commitment to offering the very best.”

About The UPS Store
With more than 5,100 locations across North America, The UPS Store network comprises the nation's largest franchise system of retail shipping, postal, print, and business service centers. The UPS Store centers are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of The UPS Store, Inc., an indirect subsidiary of United Parcel Service, Inc., a Delaware corporation (although one or more may be company-owned). Services, prices, and hours of operation are subject to change and may vary by location. For additional information about The UPS Store, visit theupsstore.com. Follow The UPS Store on social media at @TheUPSStore, facebook.com/theupsstore, and instagram.com/theupsstore.

TikTok Challenge Winners Announced!

Thank you, Experian, for giving students a financial jumpstart on their college educations!

Experian awarded four JA areas $30,000 each in scholarships for JA students!

Students were asked, “What would you do with $100?”

They were tasked with figuring out the best use for the money. Investing? Taking a class? Starting a business?

Congratulations to Nour Zoweil, Angel Pineda, Judy Vo, and Tomas Sorta!

@baileemadison It’s time to announce the winners!! Congratulations!!! Your bright, thoughtful and beautiful minds were such a joy to witness while watching your videos!!!! Thank you to @Experian for letting me be a part of this challenge!!!! And thank you to Experian and Junior Achievement for celebrating the importance of financial education! #JAExperian #JA100 #ad ♬ original sound - Bailee Madison

H-E-B "Disney" Bowl-a-thon 2023

Twenty-two years and counting, H-E-B has been committed to the mission of Junior Achievement(JA). This year we had over 275 Partners from the Central Texas region come together at Highland Lanes to celebrate another successful year of supporting and fundraising over $26,000 for JA!

H-E-B’s company’s culture of acceptance, equity, and philanthropy creates a family of Partners (what H-E-B calls their employees). Year after year, everyone works together for the greater good, not just for JA but for so many organizations, schools, veterans, and marginalized communities to name a few.

For us at JA of Central Texas, it is so impressive how each store rallies each year for our bowl-a-thon to help our community’s young people have access to our life changing experiences. H-E-B goes above and beyond, not only do they fundraise for the bowl-a-thon, they also put informative JA posters up in their stores, invite JA students to be celebrated, show up at our schools to honor our educators, volunteer at other JA events.

What an honor to be included in this H-E-B family for the last 22 years.

As outsiders looking in each year at the H-E-B Bowl-a-thon, it is always so impressive how everyone creates the most fantastic costumes and cheer each other on as they bowl with high-fives aplenty. Most companies, when you say “team building,” it is not met with such enthusiasm, but at H-E-B this is the heart of their company culture. Everyone works together to make great customer experiences in the stores and rewarding Partner experiences at work and in their community.

Twenty-two years, WOW, thank you H-E-B!

Deloitte Impact Day 2023

Junior Achievement is immensely grateful for the invaluable opportunity to have Deloitte professionals share their time and expertise with us. We are thrilled that not only will we have Deloitte’s insight in data collecting and cleanup, assistance in stewardship, but business students from Bowie and Anderson High School participated in a JA Job Shadow at Deloitte. They learned more about Deloitte plus heard from various professionals about their career stories and advice to more effectively prepare for life beyond high school including what work looks like in the real world. Deloitte is an indispensable and dedicated partner continuing to help our mission to have young people, regardless of their current situation, reach their full potentials.

“Thank you so much for meeting with me on Friday for the Deloitte Impact Day! It was such a pleasure to learn more about Deloitte, the team, and the various positions within it. I'm very excited about this as a potential opportunity to join Deloitte or an organization providing similar services. 

 As I said at the beginning of our meeting, I thought this was a good chance to learn exactly what day-to-day work was like. I was right! It was a great experience with exactly what happened in the workplace, and I was pretty interested in the new methods I learned like hybrid and hotelling. In school they haven't quite caught up with the pandemic so they don't teach us how it has affected the office yet. I really liked being around for casual work conversations like the talk you had with Ms. Reid about billing hours. 

 I hope we can remain connected as I complete my studies at Texas A&M.” Dylan, Student from the Job Shadow

#ImpactThatMatters

JA Entrepreneurship Classroom Experiences

Students from across the greater Austin area had the opportunity to learn about and implement the skills they learned in JA entrepreneurship programs, JA It's My Business!® and JA Company Program® 

Students pitched big ideas and started and ran companies selling spirit buttons, custom Henley t-shirts, snacks, coffee at popup shops, and more! Participating in JA entrepreneurship experiences creates bold thinkers able to work in teams to solve problems. They learn about themselves, their strengths, and how they can lean on others for work that is not their strength.

It is these concepts of convergent / divergent thinking, design thinking, pivoting when things don’t work, problem solving that creates not only entrepreneurs but the future workforce for jobs that haven’t even been created yet.

Thank you to Austin Independent School District, Oracle, AB Private Credit Investors, and H-E-B for all you do to make these opportunities possible.

Thank you to all of our amazing entrepreneurship volunteers. This is no easy task to take on for our volunteers to allocate 2+ hours (with Austin traffic) each week for 7 to 15 weeks but they do! They step up and show up for our community’s young people. We are alway so inspired by their dedication to helping the next generation.

Congratulations, Maryam! EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ program scholarship

Anderson High School Junior, Maryam Zoweil’s, star is shining bright! We at JA and EY are so proud of your grit and determination to reach your full potential!

Maryam has taken all of the JA lessons she learned from her mentors, Greg Quarles and Destin Bell to not only propel her own entrepreneurial endeavors but to inspire other Anderson students. She is a leader amongst her peers and is a great role model for young people - when you lean in and say yes to learning new things, you will be closer to the future you envision.

From Maryam-

“My primary company is Teengage, a career exploration application that provides students from 14-18 years of age to discover local opportunities in their area of interest and connect to local volunteer organizations. This application promotes youth engagement in their communities and ensures a steady labor force of talented and skilled teenagers looking to develop professionalism and gain first-hand experience. Through Teenage, businesses and programs are able to advertise their open positions/opportunities to their target audience on a user-friendly, customized, and clutter-free platform. So far, I have developed a fully functional prototype for this app using the development tool Figma and pitched the concept at the Junior Achievement of Central Texas Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Summit at the Capital Factory, winning first place overall. Through the next year, I hope to continue working on developing this app, surveying the target audience, and making it available to high school students in Austin and (eventually) beyond. I have further translated the skills I have developed through creating a start-up concept (Teengage) into creating a coffee shop business at my school.

Founder of the Junior Achievement Company Program Club at Anderson High School, I have led our 14-member club in establishing a coffee shop that sells drinks to students in the morning. In just four weeks, our profitable business has made over 80 sales and provided students at Anderson High School with the opportunity to learn invaluable skills in marketing and finance that we would not have been able to learn in the classroom. I believe that my experience in these two companies encapsulates what it means to be a young entrepreneur and my passion for making a positive change in my community through entrepreneurship.

My primary goal after high school is to use my experiences in data analytics, equity-centered design, and business to pursue a major in business and a minor in Computer Science at a top 20 business school. I am passionate about pursuing education in these two fields because of my dedication to finding innovative ways to solve common problems. I am confident that a future in the fields of tech and business will help me achieve my all-time goal of building and managing an innovation that helps improve the standard of living for underprivileged communities around the world.

I’ve taken several business-focused classes during my time in high school but one quote that stood out to me most and convinced me that this is the field for me was “If you can sell, you can do anything.” I believe this quote encapsulates the entrepreneurial spirit of hard work and ambition that I highly value. Pursuing a career within the intersection of business and tech will not only support me in channeling my creativity but will also allow me to take advantage of the ever-growing field of technology in order to discover even more innovative solutions for our world’s most pressing problems.

After college, I hope to strengthen my experience with business by working in a corporate setting for a few years and then using the skills I develop to start a social enterprise. My ultimate goal is to become a successful entrepreneur. Becoming an entrepreneur would not only satisfy my driven and creative character but also my ultimate motivation to create something bigger than myself through social entrepreneurship.”

JA in a Day at Oak Springs!

Once again, Frost Bank, under the direction of Betty Davis came together to give two days of JA for the young people at Oak Springs Elementary School!

Junior Achievement’s elementary school curriculum suite follows the progression of social studies themes and topics. Families, community, economics, civics, and geography intersect with JA’s Pillars of Student Success: financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship to enhance student learning. JA’s kit-based curricula support academic growth, experiential learning, and 21st-century learning skills.

JA in a Day at Guerrero Thompson Elementary

Long time educational partners, Guerrero Thompson Elementary welcomed us and our volunteers back to their campus to have a full day of JA for their students.

JA Days are a great experience for both student and volunteers. This is an easy way to get involved helping young people. Elementary children LOVE their volunteers and the educators are appreciative of this impactful day for their students.

JA’s elementary school programs are the foundation of its K-12 curricula. Six sequential themes, each with five hands-on activities, as well as an after-school and capstone experience, work to change students’ lives by helping them understand business and economics.

Thank you to all the Guerrero Thompson Volunteers!

We are grateful for all the volunteers from CNA, Capital One, Dimensional Fund Advisors, Encore Bank, Frontier Investment, Hancock Whitney Bank, Marsh McLennan, Regions Bank, and Simmons Bank!

Thank you for being part of our JA village!

JA Career Morning

We are lucky to have partners that share our passion to help young people learn of all the possibilities for their futures.

Tuesday, May 2nd, professionals from Marsh, AB Private Credit Investors, Deloitte, Avanade, and Enterprize Holdings came together for a morning of educational rotations to talk with students about their careers and conduct brief JA lessons through a career exploration website, JA Connect, focusing on practical work ready and financial literacy skills.

Thank you to Chris Statton, Melissa Thomas, Erik Jones, Margaret Doheny, John Fuex, Carlos Jimenez, Tanya Ramirez, and Aimee Castro! We appreciate you sharing you time and expertise with the students at Travis Early College High School!

Learn more about the free resources on JA Connect

JA F.E.M. Forum 2023

Every year we and our brilliant and thoughtful committee, panelists, and speakers are tasked with the duty to explore and share insights about topics around inequities and the barriers women may face for their financial freedom. This year we dove into the hard topic of biases and how many of them disproportionately affect women’s careers and economic futures.

Our fourth annual JA F.E.M. Forum proved to be no less of a thoughtful and fun morning for our community to come together to have important conversations, inspirational speakers, delicious brunch, and student mentoring.

While we at JA know our experiences for young people are life changing, we also know there are systemic barriers that many of our students and community members face. Through special events like F.E.M. and our work with students in the classroom we want to help give young people the confidence, courage, and tools so that in the face of adversity they don’t run but be bold to create a better future for themselves and for their communities.

Thank you to all those that partnered and supported this year’s forum! We still have people telling us how much they enjoyed this event and how they were inspired. We could not have such a successful event without all of you!

A very special shout out to Delta Air Lines and Experian for all of your generous support of Junior Achievements here and around the globe. We applaud your dedication to equity and education.

A special report from the IBM Institute for Business Value, IBM’s thought leadership think tank, in partnership with Chief.

Learn more about F.E.M. and this year’s event.

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JA TikTok Challenge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Let the JA + Experian TikTok Challenge Begin!

Junior Achievement of Central Texas and Experian partner for the JA TikTok Scholarship Challenge Scholarship to help students pursue higher education and to spread financial literacy awareness. 

AUSTIN, April, 5, 2023—Junior Achievement of Central Texas, local arm of a global educational non-profit, JA Worldwide (in over 100 countries)- twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 and 2023, championing financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness in grades K-12 announced today that they will be partnering with Experian and actor/influencer Bailee Madison to spread financial awareness and give central Texas Junior and Senior students the opportunity to win one of four scholarships to any high education institution, 1 at $15,000 and 3 at $5000.

Details below:

• Link to Bailee's TikTok video: @BaileeMadison 

• Link to our website about the scholarship and requirements: JA TikTok Challenge 

• Attached is the flier

• Student videos may be shared in 2 ways! Stitch to Bailee's video OR submitted through email for JA to post on their TikTok account.

• Deadline is Friday, May19th but the earlier they post the more views.

• Central Texas Area- students from Waco to San Marcos, around the central Texas corridor

• Students will be asset on three areas: Views, Creativity/messaging, and answering three short questions 

“Experian has been a longtime supporter of JA in locations across the nation. The work that JA of Central Texas does is so important to the financial health of the community.” ~Carol Urton, Experian

Junior Achievement does more than deliver programming and mentors but becomes a true partner with schools and the business community. JA has 100+ years of experience educating young people to discover their passions and giving them the tools to reach their full potential. 

For more information and questions contact, Emily Long at emily@jacentex.org or see the website: https://bit.ly/TikTokJA

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Welcome, Joe Cestari, Market President of JA of Central Texas

Austin, TX, Release: April 1, 2023. For Immediate Release

Joe is currently engaged with several companies as an executive coach, business development leader, and strategic advisor. He currently serves as Executive Director for Kiterocket, , Management Advisor for Atonarp, Executive Advisor for Axis Tool, Executive Advisor for CollabraTech, and member of the Board of Advocates for the Baylor University School of Engineering and Computer Science.The Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Central Texas is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe Cestari as Market President effective immediately. Cestari previously held the position of Board Chair of Junior Achievement of Central Texas and many positions in the private sector.

“During this time of growth, there is no better person to lead Junior Achievement of Central Texas than Joe Cestari,” said Anna Tallent, Junior Achievement of Central Texas’s Board Chair and Partner at EY. “Joe is a visionary leader with proven management skills, business acumen, and the ability to unite people. His expertise and aspirations for expanding Junior Achievement's reach in Central Texas will give more young people the opportunity to receive JA's life-changing experiences.”

Joe is a motivational, visionary leader who enjoys developing and coaching teams and leading cultural transformation. Joe has a genuine care and concern for people and believes business is personal. Equally comfortable in a non-profit, startup, turnaround, or large- scale existing business, Joe expects to leverage his broad base of professional experience by challenging leaders to achieve an unreasonable level of success in business and ultimate satisfaction in their personal lives.

Joe has more than 35 years of high technology engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing experience as well as 25 years of global business development experience. Joe has led the establishment of multiple entities in Asia (Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, China).

Joe is currently engaged with several companies as an executive coach, business development leader, and strategic advisor. He currently serves as Executive Director for Kiterocket, , Management Advisor for Atonarp, Executive Advisor for Axis Tool, Executive Advisor for CollabraTech, and member of the Board of Advocates for the Baylor University School of Engineering and Computer Science.

Joe earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical and computer engineering from Baylor University and has completed graduate studies in international business and the management of technology. Joe has been married to Beth for 37+ years and has 3 children, Nicholas (31), Zachary (29), and Taylor (26) and one grandchild, Jade Sofia (4).

JA Finance Park Comes to Austin!

Our inaugural JA Finance Park mobile hosted at the ACC Highland Campus where students from Webb Middle, Hutto Ninth Grade Center, and Hutto High School was a success beyond expectations. Students, educators, and volunteers alike all came together to rally around financial literacy at this fun field trip.

Students were randomly given a set of life scenarios then given the task to create a budget that works with their “life.”

We are grateful to all the educators that gave this gift to their students.

Thank you to all the volunteers from Accenture, Alliance Bernstein PCI, Capital One, CGI, Charles Schwab, Dell Technologies, EY, Latham & Watkins, Regions Bank, and Shopify!

Thanks to the Allstate Foundation, LBJ High students participated in JA Personal Finance® 2.0

Through a grant from the Allstate Foundation, the recently revised JA Personal Finance 2.0 program was launched at LBJ Early College High School. This program leads students through a series of lessons such as income, budgeting, savings, the difference between credit and debt, and consumer protection. 

Through JA Personal Finance, students experience the interrelationship between today's financial decisions and future financial freedom. To achieve financial health and wellness, they learn about money-management strategies, including earning, employment and smart shopping, risk management, investing, credit card usage, debt management, and net worth.

"The JA class had a lot of good information about money and how to use it, and what happens when you don't pay your bills." LBJ High School student, Austin, Texas

"JA is great, it gives our students some knowledge they can use outside the classroom." Amada Cortez, teacher LBJ High School, Austin, Texas

 '"I have gotten some great responses and some really good questions. The kids that already have an interest in things like this are normalizing it for the others. We had a great discussion on the difference between Credit and Debit cards.  Lots of good insight and good misunderstanding to set straight."

Jake Gostylo, Dun & Bradstreet Data Analyst, JA Volunteer Austin, Texas