JA Alumni Month

January is JA Alumni Month Month

Author: Makenzie Morris
Financial Literacy
Published: Thursday, 01 Jan 2026

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"I was introduced to Junior Achievement in middle school. This was back when JA wasn’t during the school day, and you attended classes at their center at night. I remember breaking out into groups during the first session and deciding our team name – Team Paradox.

Our challenge: brainstorm something we could make to manufacture and sell
Our brilliant idea: to make a gumball machine to sell

One of the parents in our group was able to cut the base gumball slot pieces from wood. They brought them to our next sessions so we could paint, glue, and assemble. Then we took the lids off mason jars, added gumballs, and flipped them upside down to fasten into the bases. Viola!

I remember loading 4 or 5 of them into a bag and walking down my block, selling them for $10 each. That bag was heavy! Each of us then brought the money from our sales back to our last session. We then deducted the cost of materials from our total sales to show our profit margin.

JA taught me valuable lessons that I could apply later in life, like:

Brainstorming concepts as a team
How an assembly line works
Putting yourself out there to make sales
What profit margins are

I always smile when I think of that experience and what I learned! Go Team Paradox!"

-Amanda Kennedy, Origin Design, JA Alumna

"I was really excited for JA BizTown because I liked the idea of earning my own money and buying stuff to take home. One of my favorite parts was the Jersey Mikes restaurant! I also liked acting like a business professional and having an official title. It made it feel important and fun."

-Madison, JA Alumna