Wows & Nows March 2025 Articles

Image caption: UW Credit Union Partnership

UW Credit Union Hits a Home Run for JA Students!

We're excited to announce a winning partnership with UW Credit Union! For every Brewers regular season victory at American Family Field, $250 will be donated to Junior Achievement of Wisconsin. These funds will help empower students with financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and career readiness skills, giving them the tools they need to build a bright future Together, we’re making every win count—on and off the field! Go Brewers!

Image caption: Welcome New JA Recruits

Welcome to the JA Family! Our Newest Recruits

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Whatever your connection to Junior Achievement— teacher, volunteer, board member or JA team member—it can be easy to forget how your success is supported by the work of so many others.

So, with Spring just around the corner, we wanted to take a minute to mark the season by sharing some fresh beginnings. Join us in welcoming the newest members of the JA of Wisconsin family!

Tara Jackson is our new State Grant Writer working out of our Metro office in Milwaukee. She comes to us with a background in education and grant writing and lives in Milwaukee with her husband and three children, where she enjoys reading, baking and outdoor summertime concerts. 

Margaret Gottlieb is our new grant writer and event planner working out of our South-Central office. She comes to us with a background in grant writing for the arts. She lives in Madison with her husband, where she also has a residential organization company, and loves to dance when she can find the time.

Eli Rocke is our new Education Manager for Racine and Kenosha County. Eli is a graduate of the University of Denver where he worked in various political campaigns and political consulting. He loves his recent move to Milwaukee and can't wait to be back on Lake Michigan and camping this summer. 

Sandy Wareing is our new Education Manager for our South-Central region. She began her career as an educator and got her start with Junior Achievement as a volunteer for her two now college-aged children. She lives in Middleton with her husband and enjoys book clubs, Bible study, and going to concerts. 

Brad Van Pay is our new Education Manager for the Metro Milwaukee Area. He comes to us after working 7 years at COA Youth and Family Centers as Youth Development Program Manager. Brad holds a bachelor’s degree in educational studies with an emphasis in youth leadership. He looks forward to continuing to serve students in Milwaukee’s communities.

Sarah Viergutz is new our Executive Assistant working out of our Metro office in Milwaukee. She comes to us with a background in human resources, project management and executive assistant work. Sarah, her husband, and daughter live in Milwaukee where they enjoy trying new restaurants, going to festivals, and spending time on the water. 

Image caption: Aidan Liu, JA 2025 Young Entrepreneur Grand Prize Winner

Announcing the JA Young Entrepreneur Winner and Viewer’s Choice Award!

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Aidan Liu from Brookfield Central High School in Brookfield, WI is Wisconsin’s 2025 Young Entrepreneur champion chosen from among the best and brightest teen entrepreneurs in Wisconsin. Aidan was chosen from among four finalists from across the state as the winner of a $5,000 scholarship and promotional accolades for his winning business. Aidan’s business is the Let’s Skate Foundation which increases the accessibility of speed skating events with affordable training sessions. 

The crowd favorite, Aiden Davis from Whitefish Bay High School from Whitefish Bay, WI is also a winner, taking home the Viewer’s Choice Award after racking up the most online votes from March 14-16. He is a winner of a $500 award sponsored by Johnson Financial Group. Aiden’s business is NWS Weather Report, an optimized mobile app using data from National Weather Services. Congratulations, Aiden!

JA’s Young Entrepreneur (YE) competition is for Wisconsin teens who have successfully turned a business idea into a reality in the form of a fully operational commercial enterprise. In the annual “Shark Tank” style event, students are selected to pitch their businesses live to a panel of local celebrity judges for a chance to win cash prizes, business recognition and the chance to compete against other top-tier teen entrepreneurs from across Wisconsin.

Winners are chosen based on business success, growth potential, and social involvement. Other considerations include the entrepreneur’s age when the business was started, strategic direction, innovation, personal integrity, leadership, and any special challenges the young entrepreneur had to overcome. 

Image caption: 7th and 8th graders explored career opportunities with JA and the Sheboygan County Chamber.

Explore Your Future!

With Junior Achievement and the Sheboygan County Chamber

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Junior Achievement and the Sheboygan County Chamber partnered for the second year for “Explore Your Future 2025” at Lakeshore College March 5-6. The event provided career exploration opportunities for area 7th and 8th graders and was attended by more than 1,000 students seeking inspiration and guidance in planning their futures.

Junior Achievement was on the scene to provide learning materials and programming before and during the event. More than 1,000 students received JA’s “It's My Job” and “Career Exploration” program materials.

During the event, students discovered their individual personality types, explored careers that align with their unique traits, gained insights into effective personal branding through best practices in social media, mastered the art of making a lasting first impression, and delved into career clusters that piqued their interest.

Contact Jenni Stein to learn more about career planning opportunities through JA.

Image caption: JA and UW Eau Claire Partnership

JA and UW Eau Claire: Fostering Success

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Fostering Success, a program hosted by UW Eau Claire and supported by Junior Achievement, provides resources and tools for 18+ students who have formerly been in foster care, are experiencing homelessness, or may lack family support. By providing resources, mentorship, and a supportive community, the program helps students overcome barriers to achieve their goals.

The Fostering Success program empowers students who may not have grown up with the same support systems as their peers. The program provides the kinds of experiences that can be life-changing for many students. JA provides curricula, support and resources to those enrolled.

The program offers access to:

• Campus Store school and household supplies
• Financial resources
• Scholarships
• Peer mentorship
• Monthly meals
• And more!

“Our data shows that smart career planning and financial literacy have become essential survival skills, especially for students whose families struggle with financial mobility,” said Susan Peterson, Regional Director for Junior Achievement of Wisconsin’s Northwest and Coulee Region. “JA programs are focused on preparing young people with the skills they need to transition into the workplace, succeed in their careers, and enrich our local communities.”

The next session of Fostering Success is coming up April 17. Contact Susan Peterson to learn more.

Image caption: Jordan Kryshak

Where Are They Now? Featuring Jordan Kryshak

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Did you know independent studies confirm that JA students are more likely as adults to earn more, own their own businesses, and move out of poverty than the public at large? Junior Achievement programs are focused on preparing young people with the skills they need to transition into the workplace, succeed in their careers, and enrich our local communities.

Today we’re featuring Jordan Kryshak as one of the many JA students and volunteers that have gone on to top positions and successful careers in their fields. Jordan is a JA volunteer who shared her time as Director of Operations for AIG Travel in Stevens Point with her role as a recent Board member for JA’s Portage & Wood County area. AIG is one of the most successful multi-national companies in the world.

“Supporting JA is something that has allowed me to come full circle with the program,” said Jordan.  “As a native to the Portage County Area, these were opportunities I was provided throughout my education. Finding myself in a position to give back to JA and our area youth has been nothing short of incredible. Having children of my own, I am incredibly passionate about the curriculum and the experiences they too will one day be able to participate in.”

The Director of Operations is responsible for managing the company’s daily activities which requires working closely with department heads and upper management to find ways to execute new growth directives, increase sales and employee retention, and improve customer satisfaction.

Jordan and her fellow JA alumni often share how Junior Achievement was an eye-opening experience which exposed them to new ways of thinking, broadened their horizons, showed them new work and career opportunities, and motivated them as life-long learners to succeed.