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After winning Miami’s Inaugural Junior Achievement Company Program Competition, five high school students from Coral Gables Senior High School were selected as one of 15 finalist teams to compete at the Junior Achievement National Student Leadership Summit (NSLS) in Washington, DC.
The students traveled to the nation’s capital for the three-day event, June 11-15, to compete with teen entrepreneurs from across the United States. At NSLS, students
compete for the following awards:
• JA Company of the Year – First, Second, and Third Place
• Delta Social Impact Award
• FedEx Global Possibilities Award
• ICE Best Financial Performance Award
The Miami students representing Coral Gables High School spent the better part of this school year launching, operating, and liquidating a real-life business venture through the JA Company Program. Their student-operated company, Charm Department, manufactured and sold school-spirit-based shoe charms under guidance from teacher, Niki Brown, and volunteer advisor, Patrick Creegan, from BlackRock.
Within the corporate structure of this real-life student enterprise, 21 students were investors with a $15 per stock share. A leadership team of six captains provided oversight to different aspects of the corporation. The company partnered with the University of Miami’s School of Architecture for 3D printing. Upon liquidation, Charm Dept. donated 10 percent of their earnings to the Mexican American Council.
When asked to reflect on winning the JA Company Program Competition, sophomore Lia Samper, head of sales for Charm Department, said, “I did not know what to expect from the competition. I saw the company as just a class project and the competition as just another class assignment. I was pleasantly surprised and gratified by the news due to all the hard work the company and its people have put into the project.”
At the NSLS event, student companies were assessed on financial performance, personal and professional development of team members, a self-produced commercial, a live presentation to business leaders, and their company’s performance at an Entrepreneurship Expo on Capitol Hill.
About Junior Achievement of Greater Miami, Inc. (JA Miami):
Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. In Miami, JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that provide 40,000 students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship.
Today, JA USA reaches more than 2.5 million students per year in 102 markets across the United States, as part of 10 million students served by operations in 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide.
Visit www.jamiami.org for more information.
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