KeepUp! Places 3rd at National Student Leadership Summit

KeepUp! one of our local companies from the JA Company Program was invited to compete in JA USA's 2020 JA National Student Leadership Summit as one of only 15 JA companies nationally and the placed 3rd in the competition!

Normally our students would spend a week in Washington, DC and pitch their business in person, but this year’s competition was held virtually in June. Luckily, KeepUp! had some practice pitching virtually in our regional competition in May. After a long drought, we have had one of our JA companies go to nationals each of the last four years, which validates our commitment to this program and the fact we work with some of the brightest young people in the country.

The JA Company Program was developed by Junior Achievement of Northern New England (JAofNNE). The JA Company After-School Program brings together highly-motivated high school students to explore the world of business by forming and managing their own company under the mentorship of corporate professionals and community volunteers. JA Company Program address topics such as business ethics, teamwork, leadership, and goal-setting, as well as how students should execute the day-to-day operations of their entrepreneurial venture. Over the course of 18 weekly meetings, students elect their own leadership team, develop and execute a business plan, produce and sell a product, hold department meetings to report on their progress, and build relationships with other students and their mentors. Through the guidance of their mentors, student participants develop the soft skills they need to prepare them to be successful in a global workforce, which they cannot learn in school.

The JA Company Program has been hosted at colleges, corporate and community-based sites in the Greater Boston Area including: AIG, Wayfair, SunTrust Bank, Eaton Vance, Northern Essex Community College and Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation. Mentors help the students develop marketing, sales, finance, management, and other skills needed to successfully run their companies. By sharing their respective backgrounds and experiences, mentors provide career and educational highlights to help students understand various career paths.

Previous JA Company Program participants have been given the opportunity to participate in the JA Regional Pitch Competition and the JA National Student Leadership Summit, gain access to JA scholarships, and speak before influential leaders at JA events such as the Spirit of JA Celebration.