It may have been fall break, but Walsh University was anything but quiet on Tuesday, October 10, when 1,000 high school students gathered on campus for the sixth annual Junior Achievement (JA) Personal Finance Education College and Career Connections Day.
MEDIA COVERAGE Canton Repository: Junior Achievement event draws more than 1,000
Joining the students were more than 15 local employers and team of volunteers, including 51 Walsh students from the DeVille School of Business. Presented by Junior Achievement of East Central Ohio and Walsh University, this annual event is designed to promote financial responsibility and career readiness among Stark County’s area high school students.
This is the sixth year Walsh has hosted JA for a Day and the third year Walsh’s DeVille School of Business has coordinated the Leadership Luncheon. Led by Assistant Professor of Business and Business Club AdvisorPatricia Berg, D.B.A., Walsh student volunteers from the Business Club, Walsh Chapter of the American Marketing Association, and the Walsh Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants student organizations gave up their fall break vacation to serve as volunteers, tour guides and mentors to the high school students.
"Junior Achievement Day at Walsh is the perfect opportunity to live out our mission of service to others with our Walsh students, and also have a positive impact on area high school students through mentorship and relationship building," said Dr. Berg.
Schools in attendance included Bridges, East Canton, GlenOak, Malvern, Massillon, McKinley, Marlinton, Minerva, Sandy Valley, Tusky Valley and Tuslaw. Throughout the day, all 1,000 students participated in three financial literacy sessions, two-career connections session and a leadership luncheon hosted by the Walsh Business Club, with a keynote address on entrepreneurship and an encouraging message of "JUST DO" by Associate Professor of Business Dr. Steven Edelson.
The Financial Literacy Budgeting Sessions were taught by long-time JA Business Volunteers from Garner Financial Services, State Farm, Diebold-Nixdorf and Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths and Daugherty, LPA. Credit and Debt Sessions were taught by bank managers from First Commonwealth Bank Investing and Savings, and volunteers from Edward Jones, Timken, Walmart and AXA Advisors.
The event also included an opportunity for students to network with local employers from Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad, Vail Packaging, Site 14 Marketing, DecisionPoint Consulting, Gervasi Vineyards, Stark State College Automotive Technology and business managers from Walmart. Junior Achievement supports education awareness as a key strategy to help high school students learn about entry level jobs in the community.
The 2017 JA Personal Finance Education, College & Career Connections Day is sponsored by First Commonwealth Bank, Walsh University, Sodexo, Gary and Kay Feagles, and Junior Achievement of East Central Ohio.