Visiting Junior Achievement of Arizona BizTown – November 2024

I had the exciting opportunity to re-live my time spent as a "CFO" in Junior Achievement (JA), when I visited JA BizTown earlier this month!

When you think back on your time in school, is there a memory or experience that stands out? One that impacted your confidence for the better, or one that changed the way you think? Many come to mind for me, but when I think of a formative experience that greatly influenced my critical thinking skills as a high schooler, my time spent in Junior Achievement (JA) rises to the top. Earlier this month, I had the exciting opportunity to re-live that formative experience, in an even bigger and better way, when I visited JA BizTown – let me tell you, a lot has changed since my day as “CFO” of my team’s JA “business” project in small-town Michigan, but that’s a story for another time.

JA exists to empower the next generation by giving them the knowledge and skills they need to make smart academic, career, and economic choices. Their programs are delivered by 9,000+ community volunteers (incredible!) and focus on three key areas – financial literacy, career readiness, and entrepreneurship. JA BizTown might be one of the best examples of how JA impacts kids through hands-on learning. Through JA BizTown, students engage in a series of classroom lessons where they learn about leading, working in, and being consumers in today’s world. They do everything from creating business plans and designing marketing campaigns to applying for jobs and voting for city officials (see me below with BizTown Mayor, Damari – he did a great job!)

Cover — Meeting with BizTown Mayor, Damari, and providing the gift of school supplies and branded notebooks to him and his classmates to reflect on their JA experience.

My visit to JA BizTown kicked off with a Town Hall meeting where I had the chance to share my JA story with participating students and how it has impacted me as a businesswoman and philanthropist. Then the real fun began! I got to see the kids’ hard work in action as I made my way around JA BizTown. I visited the HonorHealth clinic, where a group of girls led a tight operation providing health and wellness check-ups to their fellow JA BizTown Citizens – girls in STEM for the win! A few of my other favorite stops included the Arizona Diamondbacks (great marketing know-how over there), the Radio Station (loved the tunes), and Meta (we chatted all things Tik Tok). At the Arizona State University stop, I was so impressed by how the students there got creative with their pitch as to why I should consider attending ASU. They highlighted the fashion school and how ASU would be the place where I could be successful in pursuing my passions – all based on remarks I had made during the Town Hall. Well done, girls! I also had the pleasure of meeting with JA of Arizona’s phenomenal leadership – the folks who make the magic happen for over 190,000 kids per year, across all of their programs.

My greatest takeaway from visiting JA BizTown is how impactful it is for these kids to see themselves across all different professions and big-name companies. This experience could very well influence how they view their potential and their eventual career paths – the sky is really the limit. I heard so many times throughout the day that the students will remember their experience with JA of Arizona for life. As I’ve shared, I remember mine as though it were yesterday. Thank you for having me, JA of Arizona! I’m so beyond impressed and thankful for the important work you do in our community.