The JA Company Program takes on Washington, D.C.!

For the fourth year running, our Houston area JA businesses were selected as one of 15 finalists to compete at the Junior Achievement National Student Leadership Summit (NSLS) in Washington, D.C.!

From Fort Bend ISD, Elkins Very Own (EVO) and Simply Co. were selected to represent the Houston area and the State of Texas at Nationals this year. The students traveled to the nation’s capital to compete with teen entrepreneurs across the United States. Student companies were assessed on their financial performance, individual team member’s personal and professional development, a self-produced commercial about their product or service, a detailed annual report, their team’s live presentation to a panel of business leaders, and their company’s performance at an Entrepreneurship Expo on Capitol Hill.

To encourage a balanced lifestyle, EVO (Elkins High School) created eunoia: a 50-count self-care card deck and bracelet set. The cards are divided into five categories: physical, intellectual, social, emotional, and spiritual. Every card has a detailed prompt for the user to complete each day that focuses on practicing intentional self-care in each dimension of wellness. Eunoia also includes a Relax Bracelet, a handmade beaded bracelet that acts as a physical reminder of the importance of self-care and living a well-balanced lifestyle. Each set consists of a resource card that provides self-care methods from various organizations.

Simply Co. (Clements High School) created Pawzzle, an engaging, competitive game and educational resource all in one! One kit ($15) includes two 120-piece puzzles featuring student-made designs of endangered animals, like Spix’s Macaw and Red Panda. The detailed artwork helps players form a positive emotional connection to these animals. It also includes a pamphlet linking players to their website to learn more about the endangered animals featured, eco-friendly lifestyle choices, and specific donation sites. Simply Co. also designed and sold high-quality Endangered Animal stickers.

We are proud that EVO placed fourth overall at NSLS and were also a finalist at the ICE Best Financial Performance competition, while Simply Co. was a finalist at the Delta Social Impact competition, both teams should be extremely proud of their success. Additionally, all graduating seniors from EVO and Simply Co. will now join the JA Company Program Alumni Network and look forward to seeing how they impact the next class of entrepreneurial leaders!