​Junior Achievement’s 32^nd annual gala on March 13 gathered some 400 supporters and sponsors together to honour the many award winners for the greater Fredericton region.

Junior Achievement (JA) is the largest youth business organization in Canada with provincial chapters from coast to coast. New Brunswick has one of the most active chapters in the country with 15,000 students enrolled across the province.

Connie Woodside, president and chief executive officer for JA New Brunswick, said the annual gala was “a celebration of success” for the local students involved as well as the many community partners who support their efforts.

“We are helping students tap into their talent for business and reach their true potential,” Woodside said. “There are a lot of rock stars here. Someone could leave here tonight with a job offer or an opportunity at the post-secondary level.”

JA works in partnership with educators, volunteers and businesses to educate students about financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Leading corporations and local organizations in the community provide financial support and also provide mentors and volunteers to deliver the JA program to the students, giving them the knowledge and confidence they need to succeed in school, business and life.

“We are inspiring up and coming young entrepreneurs,” explained Chris MacDonald, vice-chair of the JA New Brunswick Board and a former JA graduate. “These youth go on to be leaders in the public and private sectors and they will one day lead our province into a strong and prosperous future.”

Guest speaker Ben Johnson, a wealth advisor for RBC Dominion Securities, told the crowd he got involved in the JA program 22 years ago while in Grade 10, noting the organization can “make an impact and shape lives more than you can imagine.”

He encouraged the students in the audience to look to their future, plan for tomorrow, set goals, and stay focused.

“Don’t leave life to chance, have a vision,” Johnson said. “Look at the future in the rearview mirror – what you will do, where you will go and who you will be. It will give you clarity. As Joe Louis said, ‘you only live once, but if you work it just right, once is enough.’”

This year, Junior Achievement housed two companies at Leo Hayes High School which gave students the opportunity to create a business and run it themselves. These budding entrepreneurs formed companies, raised capital, elected officers, produced and marketed products and operated their firms through to liquidation. A team of volunteer advisors from the local business community guided their operations.

Green & Clean produced and sold homemade lip balm, puddy soap and sugar scrub in a jar, while Relaxnation, produced and sold “Affirma-Jar,” containing a stress ball, some chocolate, hot chocolate, herbal tea and an inspirational quote. Both companies were deemed a success, winning numerous JA awards along with their chief executive officers,Vanshika Khaitan, a Grade 11 student at Fredericton High, and Mikayla Hand, a Grade 12 student at Leo Hayes High School. Both student business leaders spoke at the gala.

Over the past 10 years, the JA annual gala has raised $200,000 from the local business community to support the JA movement in the greater Fredericton region. Awards were presented at the 2019 event as follows:  

 ​Shown in the photos below are (1) ASD-W Acting Superintendent Catherine Blaney with Bailey Nickerson, a Grade 9 student at Leo Hayes High School who won the JA Emerging Leader Award; and (2) Fredericton High School Vice-Principal Nathan Langille with Charlie Hanscomb, a Grade 11 student, who won the award for FHS Achiever of the Year.