Teen Entrepreneurs from Junior Achievement of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Northern California, South Florida, North Central Ohio, and San Diego County Achieve National Recognition at the 2023 Junior Achievement National Student Leadership Summit

Teens Competed with Students from 14 other JA Student Companies to Earn National Recognition

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., June 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, June 15, the talented teen entrepreneurs representing Junior Achievement of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Northern California, South Florida, North Central Ohio, and San Diego County garnered national acclaim among 15 exceptional JA student companies during the highly anticipated 2023 Junior Achievement National Student Leadership Summit (NSLS) held in Washington, D.C.

In addition to their well-deserved recognition, the remarkable teens representing the first-place Student Company of the Year were individually honored with prestigious $3,000 JA Company of the Year Scholarships. Furthermore, the five students comprising the second-place team each received $1,500 scholarships, while the four students representing the third-place team were awarded $1,000 scholarships. These esteemed scholarships were generously provided by the Achievement Foundation.

Junior Achievement's National Student Leadership Summit is a premier contest showcasing the remarkable business skills, ingenuity, and innovation of U.S. JA Company Program^® students, aged 15-18, throughout the 2022-2023 academic year. Through the JA Company Program, students embark on the journey of launching and operating real business enterprises under the guidance of dedicated local business volunteers. They conceptualize and market products or services that address unmet consumer needs and attract investors for their ventures.

The student companies competing at the NSLS underwent rigorous evaluation encompassing their business performance and individual team members' personal and professional growth. The competition's key components included producing a self-produced annual report and commercial, a captivating live virtual presentation to a distinguished panel of business leaders, and insightful interviews with esteemed judges.

The Awards Gala, held on Thursday, June 15, served as the platform for presenting the coveted 2023 JA National Student Leadership Summit awards, including:

• JA Company of the Year presented by Mercedes-Benz USA: Awarded to the student businesses that most effectively demonstrated their companies' achievements, as well as the personal development of each team member.

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• First Place – Youthful Thinkers – JA of Southeastern Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
• Second Place – Talk Blox – JA of Northern California (San Francisco, CA)
• Third Place – 4Paws – JA of South Florida (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

• Delta Social Impact Award: Awarded to the student team that created a solution to address a local, national, or global social need.

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• Emocean – JA of North Central Ohio (Canton, OH)

• FedEx Global Possibilities Award: Awarded to the student company that best exhibits the principles of global connectivity.

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• CocoLoco – JA of San Diego County (San Diego, CA)

• ICE 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.

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• ProFin Technologies – JA of South Florida (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

Thank you to each of our award sponsors as well as C.N.A. Financial and the Las Vegas Raiders for their generous support ensuring the resounding success of NSLS. We are deeply grateful for their unwavering commitment to empowering young entrepreneurs and fostering a culture of innovation. 

The 15 finalist teams that participated were:

• 4Paws – JA of South Florida (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
• Battery Drop – JA of North Central Ohio (Canton, OH)
• CANVAWRAP – JA North (Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN)
• Charm Dept. – JA of Greater Miami (Miami, FL)
• CocoLoco – JA of San Diego County (San Diego, CA)
• Emocean – JA of North Central Ohio (Canton, OH)
• EVO – JA of Southeast Texas (Houston, TX)
• LAF Lounge – JA of Greater St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
• ProFin Technologies – JA of South Florida (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
• Simply Co. – JA of Southeast Texas (Houston, TX)
• SqueaKey Klean – JA of Northern California (San Francisco, CA)
• Talk Blox – JA of Northern California (San Francisco, CA)
• TriSense – JA of Greater Boston (Boston, MA)
• VenturePrize – JA of Central Upstate New York (Rochester, NY)
• Youthful Thinkers – JA of Southeastern Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)

About Junior Achievement USA® (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches more than 3.3 million students per year in 102 markets across the United States as part of 12.5 million students served by operations in more than 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

SOURCE Junior Achievement USA