Achieving life skills

Clay DeHart holds his head high as he articulates how Junior Achievement of Central Florida is important to every student.

“It (Junior Achievement) prepares you for the real world, and gives you a head start on the things that you might come across,” 12-year-old Clay said. “Everybody that takes JA will learn something.”

Junior Achievement of Central Florida is the world’s largest non-profit economic education organization, and has been in the Central Florida area for more than 50 years now, with a five county outreach; delivering volunteer-programs to students K-12 in Seminole, Orange, Osceola, Volusia and Lake counties.

“In the past 2011-12 school year we reached about 75,000 students,” Junior Achievement program director of Seminole County Lesslee Cornelius said. “We are committed to the principles of free enterprise, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and workforce readiness, and our goal is to prepare every graduating senior with those four ideals to face the world, and the world of work.”

For more information on Junior Achievement of Central Florida, visit jacentralfl.org

The program is teaching kids like Clay the life skills they might not get in the classroom.

“It shows you how to separate the necessities from things you just what,” Clay said. “How you should budget your money.”

Clay was chosen to speak at this past year’s Junior Achievement’s Mid-Florida Business Hall of Fame.

“I’m very proud of him; he exceeds my expectations,” Clay’s mom Jill DeHart said. “I think JA is a great program that everybody will learn something from.”

Cathy Alper uses the Junior Achievement program throughout all four years at Crooms Academy of Information Technology, to prepare the students for entering the work force. T program teaches the students how to write a resume and cover letters, put together portfolios, and go on interviews.

“It is like a developmental program throughout high school,” Alper said. “Work skills are taught and transferred into the work environment. I believe it’s an asset or resource that I can’t imagine doing our four-year career plan without them (JA).”

Although these high school students are learning skills they can apply to the workforce, students are also taught life-skills through JA, as young as second grade.

Rosa Williams teaches second grade social studies at Woodlands Elementary and she uses JA in her classroom to teach her students the value of voting.

She said they begin on voting on small things like what to do with an empty lot in the community.

“It’s hard for them to not vote the way their friends vote,” Williams said. “They learn to vote on what they think is right. So they can carry on this lesson as an adult, even when voting for the president.”

Clay DeHart is one of the many students that will carry on the life-lessons that JA is instilling in so many students across Central Florida.

“I think Junior Achievement has given me an advantage,” DeHart said. “I know how to go out and do other things in the future.”