Thank you for making 2017-18 a success!
With the wrap up of the school year, summer programs, and the dawning of a new fiscal year for JA, it is only appropriate to take a glance back at this year's accomplishments that you made possible. Thank you to all of our volunteers, board members, donors and teachers for making this year great! We look forward to doing even more in 2018-19 with your help.
To kick off the year- JA of Central Texas won the JA Innovation Award. The award, established by The Hartford, rewards JA Areas which have effectively implemented the JA Company Program in an innovative way that has significantly increased the number of students reached. With this award, we were able to expand the JA Company Program to help more than 375 students start and run a real business. You can help us expand to more schools in the 2018-2019 school year by becoming JA Company Program Advisor or Corporate Sponsor.

JA expanded in Round Rock ISD this fall thanks to a new partnership with Round Rock ISD and the Round Rock Chamber. This greatly increased our ability to reach new students. In the new year- we will grow again and be in all 5 high schools as the capstone entrepreneurship program for Round Rock ISD.

Thank you Whole School Sponsors! The commitment of JA Whole School Sponsors is the foundation of our impact in Central Texas. Thank you to 3M, BBVA, Schwab, and Texas Capital Bank for providing financial and volunteer support through this high impact employee engagement opportunity.
  

The second annual E2: Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Summit was November 10th at the Capital Factory. Twenty-five JA It's My Business students from Bertha Sadler Means YWLA took over the Capital Factory to receive mentorship from female entrepreneurs and pitch their business ideas.

Programming at Travis High School continues to grow with a grant from FactSet to expand personal financial literacy programming, the addition of IPO Days to fund student companies and the pilot of the JA Student Business Incubator- opening fall 2018! Special thanks to our Travis lead funders - Bank of America, The Webber Family Foundation, Accenture and BBVA for investing in our programs at Travis High School. 

O n March 20th, f ive teams presented their product in a trade show and pitched their product to Andy Roddick, Pat Perez and the founders of William Murray Golf and Lucky Penny. Congratulations to ONZ of Round Rock High School who will go to Atlanta in September to compete again at the national level. 
 

On April 4th  JA Company Program s tudents came to the Capital Factory to discuss their business ideas with entrepreneurs and influencers. After an evening of mentorship and advice each company walked away with valuable insight they could act on immediately.

JA Expands to LBJ Early Collegiate High School  with a grant from A Glimmer of Hope Austin. This funding allows JA to expand our entrepreneurship track into LBJ and serve 100 students in 2018. We started this spring with four cohorts of JA It's My Business, ran the JA Start Up Incubator in June and will begin the JA Company Program in fall of 2018. Sign up as a JA Company Program Advisor here. 

Thank you, TransUnion for doubling your support of Austin area youth! After supporting JA financial literacy programs with a generous grant and volunteers in the classroom during the fall semester, TransUnion awarded an additional grant of $5,000 in January which allowed us to say yes to teachers on our spring waiting list and serve even more students during the 2017-18 school year. We greatly appreciate the support of TransUnion and their employees in preparing young people for success.
 

ONZ goes to Washington. On June 18th, JA Company ONZ headed to Washington DC to attend the National Student Leadership Summit. ONZ was one of 15 teams selected nationwide to travel to the Capital to compete against JA Companies from around the United States. They participated in three days of leadership and entrepreneurship seminars and presented their their business to business leaders and members of Congress. Special thanks to their teacher, Tiffanie Harrison and their JA Company Program Advisor, Mark Richardson of CyberDefenses for mentoring ONZ this year.
 

Lawrel Andry wins Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Scholarship
From a group of hundreds of local teen entrepreneurs,  Ernst & Young selected Lawrel from Cedar Ridge High School as the winner of this year's award.  H er JA Company, DuraCables,  pitched at the FedEx Junior Business Challenge at Dell Matchplay, 1Million Cups Round Rock and won the  Innovation Award at the JA Round Rock Entrepreneurship showcase. 
 

JA Summer Start Up Incubator keeps students engaged and new ventures emerge. During June, JA students worked through their business ventures as part of A Glimmer of Hope Austin's investment in our programs at LBJ High School. Program participants learned the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, worked on new ventures, received mentorship and worked on prototyping new ideas.
 

Help bring the JA Experience to more young people! Thank you for your continued support of JA and the students we serve. Please tell your JA story, follow us on social media (links below), form a team for JA Maker Bowl 2018 and renew your financial commitment to JA today to help us reach more students in 2018-19.
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