In June of 2019, 15 of Junior Achievement’s top student companies came to the Nation’s Capital to compete in the 2019 Junior Achievement National Student Summit.
Junior Achievement’s National Student Leadership Summit (NSLS) is a contest of business skills, ingenuity, and innovation that focuses on the accomplishments of JA Company Program ® students in the United States between the ages 15-19 during the 2018-2019 academic year. Currently reaching more than 10,000 U.S. students who created over 500 start-up ventures, JA Company Program students start and run a real business enterprise under the guidance of a volunteer from the local business community. They devise and market a product or service that fills an unmet consumer need and recruit investors for their company.
Inside NSLS 2019 In June, JA student companies competed in the 2019 National Student Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. for various sponsored awards. The student companies were assessed on their financial performance, individual team members’ personal and professional development, a self-produced commercials about their product or service, their team’s live presentation to a panel of business leaders, and on their company’s performance at an Entrepreneurship Expo on Capitol Hill, which was attended by Members of Congress and Congressional Staff.
“Junior Achievement’s student events are of great importance to our organization. These events provide unique opportunities for our students to put into practice the concepts they have] learned from the JA Company Program, such as collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication, and sound business practices,” said Jack E. Kosakowski, President & CEO of Junior Achievement USA. “The professionalism and passion for entrepreneurship I’ve witnessed during this summit reassures me that our future is in good hands. These young people are a testament to the impact of Junior Achievement.”
After thorough evaluation and judge scoring, the following JA student companies received awards and recognition at NSLS 2019:
JA Company of the Year Awarded to the student businesses that most effectively demonstrated their companies’ achievements, as well as the personal development of each team member.
JA Company of the Year Winners – Simple Starters
Click here to see their performance during the Company Presentations!
Click here to learn about their JA student company!
Second Place Winners – Pure Serenity
Click here to see their performance during the Company Presentations!
Click here to learn about their JA student company!
Third Place Winners – Denim2Denim
Click here to see their performance during the Company Presentations!
Click here to learn about their JA student company!
Delta Social Impact Award Awarded to the student team that created a solution to address a local, national, or global social concern by connecting customers, stakeholders and community; demonstrating great customer service; advancing education in their company, and creating value through innovation in all aspects of their business.
Click here to see their performance du ring the Company Presentations!
Click here to learn about their JA student company!
FedEx Access Award Awarded to the student team that presented the best business plan with the potential to create jobs and grow small businesses with enviornmental sustainability.
Click here to see their performance during the Company Presentations!
Click here to learn about their JA student company!
EY Innovation Award Awarded to the student team that effectively demonstrated how their product, service, strategy, or process is an innovative solution to an existing problem. The award recipient proved to entail aspects of creativity, impact, scalability, and lessons learned throughout their business endeavor.
Click here to see their performance during the Company Presentations!
Click here to learn about their JA student company!
ICE NYSE Foundation Best Financial Performance Award Awarded to the student team that demonstrated the best financial results, including profitability, investor expectations, employee earnings, product quality, leadership, and operational efficiency.
Click here to see their performance during the Company Presentations!
Click here to learn about their JA student company!
Jim Sweeny Pioneer Scholarship Award Awarded to an individual of JA Company for accomplishments in a role within a JA Company and entrepreneurial potential.
Congratulations to All JA Student Companies that Participated in this Year’s Summit:
Denim2Denim – JA of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Pure Serenity – JA of South Florida
Bats Around Town – JA of East Central Ohio
Brush It Off – JA of Western Massachusetts
EcoSlurp – JA of the Upper Midwest
Filtair USA – JA of Northern New England
Hydrope – JA of Northern California
MO Co. – JA of Greater St. Louis
Our Story – JA of the Chisholm Trail
Reclaimed Visions – JA of Chicago
Simple Starters – JA of East Central Ohio
Sipsy – JA of Greater Washington
Tudrme – JA of Southern California
VIBEzzz – JA of South Florida
WriteCase – JA of the Upper Midwest
Behind the Scenes of NSLS 2019 Throughout the entire three-day event, our two JA Student Ambassadors, Sam Blum and Eric Lin, worked to capture all the fun and excitement at this year’s NSLS. We thank them for their hard work and dedication to Junior Achievement.
Here is an inside look at what NSLS is really like:
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