Featured JA Alumni
JA Alumni are people who experienced Junior Achievement programs at some point in their K-12 education. Did you participate in the Company Program as a kid? Did you go through BizTown or have a volunteer in your classroom all those years ago?
Then you are a JA Alumnus and should tell us your story!
More than 200 San Diegans have already told us about their experience with Junior Achievement and how it has positively impacted their professional lives.
Read some of their stories below.
Wendy Gillespie, Frontier Trading
As a senior at Bloomfield High School near Newark, N.J., Wendy Gillespie's JA Company program team assembled and sold car visor kits to hold tissues and sunglasses. She was their CFO and went on to graduate from Montclair State University with a BA in Spanish and education, and a post-graduate minor in business administration.
"I can barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning, but I remember all of the details about the JA Company program I participated in more than 40 years ago," Gillespie said. "The impact and power of this experiential program still amazes me today, and inspires me to give back and pay it forward to today's students."
Gillespie now serves as the principal and co-owner of Frontier Trading Inc., which markets and distributes consumer-packaged goods to Mexico and Latin America. Frontier Trading is also a long-term title sponsor of BizTown and Ms. Gillespie has served on our board since July of 2002.
Fred Glick, Phil's BBQ
Fred Glick kicked off his foodservice career as a bus boy in high school in Lebanon, PA. He participated in the JA Company Program at the local Alcoa Aluminum plant, and his team produced and manufactured premium aluminum coat hangers, sold them for $1 each, made a profit, and redeemed the stock at a 20% return after expenses.
"I loved learning about the different aspects of the business world from designing and manufacturing a product, to sales, marketing, managing processes and selling shares of stock," Glick said. "The basic business principles of writing and working a good business plan, giving back to the local community you serve, and balancing the needs of the customers, employees and stockholders have always stuck."
Glick earned at BA in Business Administration from Lehigh University and became a stockbroker. Six months later, after hating his "real job," he went back into the food service industry as a bartender and soon became an assistant manager for Bennigan's.
During the next 14 years, Glick managed a Hooters Restaurant franchise and grew it from one location in Omaha, Neb. to 24 locations in five states. Recently, he discovered a unique opportunity to combine his talents and experience with local restaurant legend, Phil Pace, at Phil's BBQ in San Diego.
Glick is currently the President of the California Restaurant Association's San Diego chapter.
Dolores Duron, Kimbrough Elementary School
Dolores Duron: "My memories of an incredible journey into the future through my Junior Achievement Experience 45 years ago are always present in my mind. I guess I can honestly say that Junior Achievement helped jump start my enthusiasm for a lifelong career in public relations, which explains why I am not ready to retire after 37 years of teaching for the San Diego Unified School District.
When I was a Junior at Cathedral Girls' High School in downtown San Diego, CA. I was inspired to join Junior Achievement. I know that the program was presented to us by JA representatives who came to our campus. I was hooked after their presentation. We were told that we could learn how to start a business and actually create and produce our own products. I excelled in Math, so consequently, the vision of a practical application for math, selling products and making a profit, enticed me even more.
Eventually I became the accountant/treasurer for "Magna Products." We designed and produced magnetic boards which were hung in the kitchen as magnetic utensil holders. I wish I would have kept one. They were quite the invention.
Representatives from the Bank of America were the mentors for the students in our company. I was a corporate JA participant and my mentors prepared me to be a sales representative. I had the opportunity to meet with B of A employers to sell them our "magna boards." I remember that we did make a profit, but specifics are vague. I was awarded with a medal of distinction from Junior Achievement before graduating from High School in 1967, and was also a third place runner up in the Miss Junior Achievement Contest during that same year.
I attribute my success to my love of learning and to my love of life, but Junior Achievement is instrumental in developing my work ethic and providing the foundation for my lifelong career in educational and community leadership. I co-directed religious education through my church for many years as a volunteer. I have been a Parent Academic Liaison Project Resource Teacher for 10 years at Kimbrough Elementary School and I am a member of the San Diego Organizing Project. In conclusion, I would like to express my thanks to Junior Achievement for having affected my life in such a positive way.
Respectfully,
Dolores C. Duron
Parent Academic Liaison/Project Resource Teacher
Kimbrough Elementary School
SDUSD
Are you a Junior Achievement Alumni? Please tell us your story about your experience with Junior Achievement.
Meet other JA Supporters and Alumni at our quarterly JA Coffee Break.
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