or more than forty-eight years, Junior Achievement (JA) has made it possible for hundreds of thousands of K-12 students in Alaska to have the JA experience. The formula is simple: we equip volunteers from the business community with our award-winning curriculum and send them into classrooms to teach students about money, careers, and business—and it works.

Independent studies reflect the value of JA programs. Students exposed to JA perform better academically, have higher graduation rates, are more prepared to make career choices, and experience greater social mobility. Perhaps more importantly, JA endeavors to help students see how personal responsibility, hard work, perseverance, and grit connect to success. These lessons have never been more relevant.

JA continues to innovate in order to continue our important work. To our menu of educational opportunities, we have added an array of virtual programming, including multi-lesson programming, as well as stand-alone activities that can continue the JA experience at home. During the pandemic and school closures, more than 7,100 students participated in JA’s virtual lessons. Now that we are back in-person in schools, the demand for JA continues to grow.

We invite you to hear stories from JA students and the 2022 Alaska Business Hall of Fame Laureates on January 20, 2022 at our annual Alaska Business Hall of Fame banquet. Our congratulations to Dave Allen, Allen Marine Tours and Alaska Dream Cruises; Randy and Chanda Mines, Bagoy’s Florist & Home; Rich Owens, Jewel Lake Tastee Freez; and Rex A. Rock Sr., Arctic Slope Regional Corporation.

The laureates have blazed the trail for the next generation and contributed significantly to the growth of Alaska’s economy. We hope you will join us for this celebration of businesses in Alaska. You can purchase tickets at alaska.ja.org.

We want to thank all of the teachers, administrators, volunteers, donors, and businesses who support Junior Achievement of Alaska. We’d like to invite you to also join us in our mission to give young people the skills they need to empower them to blaze a brand new trail of their own.