High School Students

JA Academy: Beyond the classroom walls

JA Academy is empowering today's generation to be more prepared and motivated than ever before. Real-world connectivity is infused into the everyday learning experience and the result is a highly engaging and
relevant learning environment.

Business connectivity through case studies and site visits are two components that give students these
types of opportunities to connect their academics to life beyond the classroom walls. Integrated within
the standard curriculum, the students work through business challenges presented by and in conjunction with advisers from partnering companies.

As the groups of students work to develop a solution to a real issue that the company has faced, they
are exposed to the intricacies of the day-to-day for many employees in the business world. What makes this company who they are? How can we solve this challenge in a manner that reflects those values? What are the implications of our decision? Who do I collaborate with to make this happen?

The site visit serves not only as a culminating experience after weeks of research, discussion and preparation, but also as an opportunity to discover positions, companies and industries they may not have known existed. 

JA Academy at Norcross High School’s first site visit was to WestRock, a Fortune 500 global printing, packaging and recycling company headquartered just three miles from the school. Through the case study, the students discovered that the process of printing something as unassuming as a tissue box involves infinitely more steps, collaboration and decision making than they imagined.


While in the Structural Design department, students built off of what they learned in class to get a complete scope of the challenge. Does the client choose the design of the box? What if they don’t like what you come up with? Let’s back up; what kind of technology and background do you have to have to create these in the first place? What if the material the client wants doesn’t do the job as well as another material may, how do you relay this information to them?


In a span of a few minutes, students fed off of each other’s questions to dive into what actually goes on in these employees’ work days. They went beyond the surface level questions and into the questions that will begin shaping the trajectory of their own aspirations and futures as they discover how their interests can translate into career.


These are the kinds of unassuming moments that can last a lifetime. When we provide authentic experiences students become energized around not only what they could become, but what they can do now to help get them there. That’s where the transformation of education becomes obvious; when students begin connecting their academics to their future possibilities, they are more motivated in the classroom and empowered to go further than they can dream.

JA Fellow starts non-profit to help feed peers

Here at JA, we know that our programs are full of incredible students. We know that we are in a unique position in which we get to help inspire and grow students' passions, and watch them succeed in front of our eyes. But every now and then, we get to share stories that truly blow us away.

Lauren Seroyer is one of those stories. A JA Fellow and rising Junior at Peachtree Ridge High School in Gwinnett County, Seroyer has begun to tackle a problem that many people twice her age never think about: food insecurity. She was inspired by a classmate that confided in her that he didn't have enough food at home. Instead of just feeling bad, she did something about it.

"When I called the local food pantry, I was shocked to find out that they couldn't give their resources to anyone outside of their service area," said Seroyer.

So she decided to start her own. Community Assistance and Resource Effort (CARE) Closets, is a confidential school-based food pantry. The food comes from school clubs and the local community, and is run by  student council members and supporting teachers. The first, at Seroyer's own Peachtree Ridge, began with just with a lunch announcement to the school, and grew from there.

Since March, CARE Closets has gained local and national recognition. In April they were the recipient of the Spark Prize from United Way of Greater Atlanta, providing $25,000 in funding to help reach their goal of being in every high school in Gwinnett County. Then, just a few weeks ago Seroyer was one of two recipients of the Community Choice Youth Award from 365Black, a McDonald's program that recognizes people who are working to make a difference in the African American community. She received the $10,000 award on the national stage, alongside honorees like Toni Braxton and Wendy Raquel Robinson.

"I didn't expect for it to explode like this," said Seroyer. "Everything has been moving so quickly, but it's been so wonderful. I never expected any type of recognition, but I have had so many opportunities, and been able to grow the program larger than I'd ever imagined."

So how does it work? Seroyer has develop a tool kit for schools that spells out how to implement the program. It requires just a student council member and sponsoring teachers to begin, and can start providing food to those in need immediately. Seroyer is confident that Peachtree Ridge - and one day all high schools in the county - will be able to continue the program long after she graduates.

Seroyer is an inspiration to her friends, classmates and adults alike. When asked what her advice to people her age would be, she confidently replied that "No idea is a bad idea. The most common thing my peers say to me is 'I never thought that making a change could begin with just a simple idea.' You can't be afraid to try things, and you can't give up." said Seroyer.

The biggest lesson she's learned is one that we could all use a little more often: Never look down on anyone, because you never know what the person next to you is going through.

The 365Black awards will air on BET on September 1st at 9PM.

Q&A with JA Fellows Alumni: Orane Douglas

How many years were you in the JA Fellows program?

1 year

What year did you graduate from high school?

2010

What college do you attend, what's your major and expected graduation year?

I graduated from Duke University in 2014 on the pre-medical track with a major in Cultural Anthropology. I am currently obtaining my Masters in Public Health from Emory University in the Health Policy and Management with a certificate in Socio-contextual Determinants of Health with an anticipated graduation date of May 2017.

Favorite sports team or food?

Jamaican, Latin, and Italian food; Duke Blue Devils

What are some of your recent achievements? What is your proudest achievement in life?

I was currently voted to be the Academic and Social co-chair for the Association of Black Public Health students at Emory and was selected as a student ambassador for the admissions board. During my senior year at Duke, I was selected as the 2014 Kappa Man of the Year for my chapter and was also awarded a plaque for the significant contributions I've made during my tenure as President and in other leadership positions.

My  proudest accomplishment is my involvement with Duke's Global Health Institute, where I was granted an opportunity to develop and implement a project to help a community and learn about resources. I was originally accepted into the Student Research Training program in November alongside three other undergraduate students. Together, we worked with community based organizations in Sri Lanka to identify problems of interest and ways we could assist. Working with staff in the institute, we developed a budget, received funding, organized transportation and funding, and a plan of action. We then traveled to Sri Lanka for 8 weeks, where I taught English, math, science, and music classes to the minority Tamil population as well as worked with an organization to empower the people of the communities. Though we were not able to extract the desired data, we were able to develop a nutritional assessment to help the organization we were working with to better serve the interests of the community.

What is the most important thing you took from the JA Fellows program that applies to your life now?

JA Fellows helped me tremendously with the work in Sri Lanka. I learned during the program the rewards and difficulties with working with a team towards a common goal. I also learned how to adjust when things were not going as planned. Additionally, I learned how to better balance between being the CEO of our JA company and performing well in school. I am currently doing my masters full time, while working full time in Cancer Clinical Research, while also running a business. JA was the first time I had been exposed to business operations and the multiple facets of developing and growing a business. I take that experience developing an Annual Report and use it currently in developing revenue and expense reports, which I am also learning in my Masters program. JA Fellows allowed for me to learn skill sets and lessons central to my passions and served as a strong foundation for everything I am currently learning and doing. I am forever grateful to the program for the lessons I learned, the individuals who spent their time investing in me, and mentoring me.