From June 18-22 The JA of Greater Washington student entrepreneurs who created Pick-Me-Up rounded out their year by competiting for the JA Company of the Year at the JA National Student Leadership Summit (NSLS), right here in Washington, D.C.
NSLS is part of Junior Achievement's annual celebration of the accomplishments of JA Company Program® students, ages 15-19, from across the United States. They develop and market a product or service with the goal of realizing a profit for their shareholders. Reaching nearly 14,000 U.S. students during the 2015-16 school year who created nearly 700 start-ups, during participation, JA Company Program gives teens the skills to start and run their own businesses under the mentorship of a local business volunteer.
This pinnacle event brings together only 15 JA student companies to our nation's capital for three days of high-impact JA experiences. The Summit features the JA Company of the Year powered by The Hartford, the FedEx Access Award, the EY Social Innovation Award, and the ICE NYSE Foundation Best Financial Performance Award.
At NSLS, JA students had the chance to demonstrate their business acumen, creativity, and entrepreneurial thinking in a competitive environment on a national stage—showcasing their companies to Members of Congress and business leaders.
At the Awards Dinner that culminated the Summit, The Pick-Me-Up team was awarded the Social Media Award alongside the Good Nashville and CHAAO company teams. Together, the teams generated 84 Instagram posts during their time at the Summit.
This year was JA of Greater Washington's pilot year of the JA Company Program. Some of the other companies had upwards of 45 team members, whereas Pick-Me-Up was comprised of only 5 dedicated students. It was a tremendous accomplishment for them to be selected among thousands of other JA Company Program teams to represent the JA of Greater Washington area office on the national stage.
JA of Greater Washington is so proud of the students for their hard work and dedication to the JA Company Program. Congratulations on an outstanding year and congratulations to all of this year's finalists and winners!