Junior Achievement of Northern CA Announces Scholarship Program

From Junior Achievement of Northern California: Junior Achievement of Northern California is pleased to announce the JA Glenlyon Scholarship program. The program provides college-bound students with a 4-year, $2500 renewable scholarship aimed to inspire and support college success.

In the 2016, inaugural year, the JA Glenlyon Scholarship was awarded to three Northern California students: Joseph Fortuno, Gabriel Martin, and Joanelle Wilder. All three students exemplify JA’s mission to build an entrepreneurial mindset, develop financial and workplace skills, and begin their journey on the path toward financial capability and success.

Joseph Fortuno was a student in the JA Company Program and participated in the 2015 JA USA National Student Leadership Summit, where he and his team won the Microsoft Social Innovation Award. He represented JA on the PBS television show “American Graduate” and met with President Barack Obama during National Entrepreneurship month. He has since been invited to act as a mentor in the 2016 JA USA Student Leadership Summit. Fortuno currently attends Cogswell Polytechnical College to pursue a degree in Digital Media Management.

Gabriel Martin participated in several JA programs: JA Job Shadow, JA Career Success, and JA Social Innovation Camp. He also volunteered and led a middle school class with JA Global Marketplace. Martin currently attends Diablo Valley College where he is pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice. He hopes to incorporate this degree with his passion for marine life and is looking at careers in Fish and Game, Environmental Agencies or starting his own business or consulting firm.

Joanelle Wilder volunteered with Junior Achievement in a fifth grade classroom at Diablo Vista Elementary. Wilder plans to earn a degree in Criminal Justice and pursue a career in civil rights in Atlanta, Ga. In true entrepreneurial spirit, Wilder says, “I eventually want to own my own law firm and begin to make a change within our justice system.”

Funds for the JA Glenlyon Scholarship program were generously provided by an anonymous donor who wants to remove financial barriers to higher education for Northern California students. New scholarships will be awarded each year, while existing recipients, who remain in good standing, will be eligible to renew their scholarship award for up to four years. High school seniors are eligible to apply for the scholarship. Requirements include that the student participate in a JA program, volunteer with JA, have a minimum of 2.75 GPA, and enroll full time at an accredited college or university. Applications will be available here with a submission deadline of March 1, 2017.

About Junior Achievement of Northern California

Junior Achievement’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Locally, JA connects students, educators, and business professionals together to build quality partnerships that empower young people to own their economic success by becoming financially literate, workforce ready, and equipped with entrepreneurial skills. In the past year, JA provided 603,795 instructional hours to more than 90,000 students agency-wide. These students participated in experiential, hands-on learning that enabled them to connect their studies in school to real-world business and industry. Students saw, first-hand, how academic success can prepare them for a fruitful and meaningful future. This is the true value of Junior Achievement and it’s something we proudly share with our partners. In fact, since our founding in 1950, JA of Northern California has impacted more than 3.5 million K-12 students.

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