Junior Achievement of Utah

Inspiring Students to Create Their Own Bright Futures

By Christy Tribe, President and CEO, Junior Achievement of Utah

Junior Achievement of Utah is in the business of inspiring young people. In particular, we inspire students from as early as kindergarten and throughout their high school years. To accomplish this, we send in the professionals. I don’t mean professional educators; I mean professional CEOs, business owners, healthcare workers, and a variety of others to serve as mentors, inspiring students inside classrooms across our state.

Picture for a moment that you’re standing at the front of a classroom. Twenty-five energetic fourth graders are looking up at you, trying to decide what they are in for. You nervously begin the first lesson on the characteristics of an entrepreneur. Within a few minutes, you’re helping them realize that just like entrepreneurs, they are risk-takers because they attempt daring tricks on their bikes, with their skateboards, and on the soccer field. After a few minutes, students are drawn in because these lessons are relevant. There is something in here for each one of them. Suddenly, they’re hooked. Guided by our engaging lesson plans, our volunteers are prepped through informative training sessions and equipped with colorful posters, exciting games, and thought-provoking activities to make each lesson come to life. However, no amount of color and no number of games or activities can inspire our young learners as much as a caring adult at the front of the classroom. This is the magic of Junior Achievement—the secret to our success.

Simply put, the most powerful influence in Junior Achievement is that of our eager and at times, slightly nervous volunteers. In Utah alone, over 8,000 dedicated volunteers serve annually as positive role models, inspiring students to catch a glimpse of what their own futures can be. You see, Junior Achievement brings the outside world—the business world—into our classrooms, and we bring our classrooms out into the business world. By doing so, students learn to recognize the ways in which they shine and learn how to use their unique talents to create their own bright futures.

The Junior Achievement lessons aren’t about math, writing, reading, and science, though they require knowledge and understanding in these important subjects. Instead, Junior Achievement activities require students to develop skills in those areas as they set goals, start businesses, and plan for their future. Through hands-on learning, young people are given powerful opportunities to demonstrate their strengths and to see their peers do the same. The impact of this learning is tremendous. Even more, the impact of bringing real world experiences to our young people is empowering. In fact, results of a recent survey show that 51 percent of Junior Achievement alumni report going into the same field as one of their JA volunteers.

For over one hundred years, Junior Achievement has led the charge in educating students, grades K-12, with the vital life skills they need for their future. Based on the three pillars integral to our mission— financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness—Junior Achievement builds an engaging curriculum that includes creating a budget, thinking like an entrepreneur, and starting a business as well as teaching more complex concepts, such as economics and the stock market. The powerful lessons enable students to envision the possibilities for their future, and the take-aways are life-changing. For a moment, imagine a new scene. Picture a bustling town center with head-spinning excitement, energy, and activity. Business storefronts flow with eager employees, savvy CEOs, number-crunching CFOs, and consumers with money to spend. A friendly mayor who knows everyone’s name peruses the town, making sure all are happy and enjoying their day. Journalists share stories from the news desk that are broadcast throughout the town. Creative advertisers strategically compel shoppers to visit their stores for the latest and greatest items. Even germ experts, acting almost like detectives, take samples and analyze the possible infections that could be brewing. Everyone is busy. Everyone is working to complete specific goals. Everyone plays an important role. This is capitalism at its finest. This scene happens every school day in our capstone facility in Salt Lake City. The town is called Spencer F. Eccles Junior Achievement City, and the hustle and bustle, including the friendly mayor, is all created by busy ten-year-olds. Yes, fifth graders. When there, these young students take on adult roles and engage in commerce in a way they never have before. It’s the highlight of their elementary school days and an experience they remember forever. It’s why we’re building a new Woodbury Junior Achievement City in Utah County. It’s also why we want to expand our programs to southern Utah.

We want to partner with the thriving business community in Washington County so your young people can begin to grasp the magnitude of their immense potential. We already have partnerships with schools and educators, and they’re eager to open their doors to the outside world. We all remember the caring adults, the role models in our lives. We remember the positive influence of those who saw something in us we did not yet see in ourselves, setting us on a better course. Now we have the chance to be those mentors for young people today. When you experience Junior Achievement, whether in the classroom or at JA City, you leave with a strong sense of confidence in our youth. You know the future is bright. Junior Achievement is turning on the light and inspiring students every day to dream, aspire, and achieve. We hope you’ll join us. For more information on how to get involved, contact the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce or Junior Achievement of Utah. You may also send an email to whitney@ja-utah.org.

Christy Tribe is the president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Utah. She has worked as a development officer in the nonprofit arena for the past fifteen years for a number of organizations, including the Oquirrh Institute and the University of Utah College of Nursing. Christy took on the role of president and CEO of Junior Achievement in 2015 after serving as the chief development officer. She is passionate about helping students reach their full potential with JA’s proactive approach to breaking the poverty cycle.