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Junior Achievement Grows Hope

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 19, 2007

Talk about confidence. The mistress of ceremonies at Thursday's annual Junior Achievement breakfast was a fifth-grader from Schwarzkopf Elementary School who could have been born with a Mr. Microphone in her hand.

Sarah Lucker told the downtown crowd that JA Biz Town - the hip mock-business district that teaches real-life lessons in money matters - gave her 'a better understanding for how stressful it is for adults who get up and go to work every day.'

Megan Hicklin, a senior at Robinson High School, said JA Biz Town helped restore the confidence she lost in middle school, when being smart wasn't cool. Helping other students prepare for business roles helped her find her voice again.
Sister Ann Regan, who teaches at St. Peter Claver Catholic School near downtown, said the relatively new successor to JA's old Enterprise Village gives some children their first look at the professional world.

'What a gift this is to these children, to see that the adult world of work is rewarding. That both men and women have opportunities to be part of this reality. I stress men because some of the children I teach have not seen modeled to them either success in business, or the joy of having a job and doing it well.'

The mission of Junior Achievement is to educate and inspire young people about free enterprise, business and economics. This year, 75 percent of Hillsborough's fifth-graders will study the curriculum and visit the mock business district where they will tackle roles like bank manager, storekeeper or accountant.

Richard George, president of Junior Achievement of West Central Florida, said there's a real need for financial literacy programs: 'Eighty percent of parents say students learn personal money matters in school. Ninety percent of high school students say whatever they know about money they learned from their parents.'
Junior Achievement partners with the county's school district, education foundation and workforce alliance to broaden the horizons of students who might never see themselves in professional jobs.

JA builds hope. For some, it grows confidence. It's a beautiful thing to witness.

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