Hawks and Chase Partner With Junior Achievement to Launch “Power Forward: How to Advance Your Career and Finances” Program for Metro Atlanta High School and College Students

Program to Provide More Than 1,000 Students With Invaluable Hands-On Financial Literacy Learning Experience

ATLANTA – This week the Atlanta Hawks and Chase, the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co, and the official bank partner of the Hawks, launched the multi-pronged “Power Forward: How to Advance Your Career and Finances” program in partnership with Junior Achievement of Georgia (JA). This initiative, aimed towards high school and college students, will consist of three separate curriculums for three different target groups in metro Atlanta. The overall program is designed to educate students in the areas of financial health and literacy, the basics of business finance, and to build their knowledge around the financial services industry.

 “The Hawks are excited to partner with Chase and Junior Achievement to launch a program for high school and college students that focuses on two very important topics: financial health and critical thinking. The information that will be provided is priceless, this collaboration will help to propel program participants forward and prepare them for a bright future,” said Andrea Carter, Hawks Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility. “It is important to us that we leverage our partnerships to impact the community around us in a positive way. Working with both Chase and Junior Achievement to bring a much-needed curriculum to the classroom will hopefully inspire students to take their financial journeys seriously.”

 The first program, which was introduced this week and will last until July, is a Professional Development Webinar Series, geared towards first year college students with previous learning experience from JA led programs. The customized curriculum will feature financial literacy workshops hosted by Chase and the “Peek Behind the Curtain” series where Hawks and Chase team members will speak extensively about what they look for in potential candidates for job opportunities at their respective organizations.

 “It is incredibly important that our leaders of tomorrow are prepared today to achieve their own personal financial health and goals, and feel confident to pursue careers in the financial services industry as well,” said Mark Adams, Chase’s Georgia and North Florida market director for Consumer Banking. “Through Junior Achievement and the Atlanta Hawks, Chase is excited to work directly with students in metro Atlanta to help them navigate their personal and professional financial journeys.”

 The second program will begin in the fall and be conducted in-school with a curriculum focused on consultancy. Seniors from Banneker, Northview, Osborne, Norcross, and Parkview High Schools will be presented with a real-world business challenge and divided into small groups to work as a project consulting team for the with the support of both Hawks and Chase employee volunteers. This project will span nine weeks. The third program is an in-school extended case study, beginning in the Spring of 2022. The curriculum will be built around the core competency of critical and analytical thinking. More than 500 juniors from South Atlanta, Martin Luther King Jr., McNair, Savannah, and Parkview High Schools will be challenged with an engaging and relevant business case study that will enhance learning, refine students’ higher-order skills, and provide opportunities for students to create connections to the Hawks and Chase brands by learning from their employees throughout the process. This project will span six weeks.

 Junior Achievement of Georgia is dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make educated academic and economic choices. The organization offers multiple programs, including in-class programs, JA BizTown, JA Finance Park and 3DE by Junior Achievement, all of which focus on entrepreneurship, personal financial literacy and workforce readiness. JA of Georgia serves 175,000 students statewide in an average year.

 “We are thrilled to be launching our partnership with the Atlanta Hawks and Chase, and are looking forward to the exposure and opportunities it will provide for our 3DE students,” said John Hancock, Junior Achievement of Georgia President and CEO. “Giving high school students a chance to interact with professionals from both of these companies will help them to further expand their future goals and hone in on what it will take to achieve those goals.”

 In 2020, the Atlanta Hawks and Chase announced an integrated multi-year partnership with several pillar programs focused on increasing financial health in Atlanta’s communities, and creating economic opportunity for local residents. This partnership has since produced two “Chase Chats”, a series of small group sessions focused on financial health through impactful conversations, that have featured guests like NBA Legend and Hawks co-owner Grant Hill and Atlanta Hawks icon, Dominique Wilkins.

 Visit Hawks.com/community to learn more about Atlanta Hawks community efforts.

Defining Moments

Sometimes the most normal of days turn out to be ones that you’ll never forget.

When I started writing this post, it was from an organizational perspective, not a personal one. But the further I got, the more I realized that this story has become a defining moment for my professional life, and it made more sense for me to share it from my point of view.

I’ve been working with 3DE students at Banneker High School since we began in 2014. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know the students – what motivates them, what makes them tick and the ever-changing status of what’s ‘cool’.

At 3DE schools, we’re creating environments where students are a part of something bigger than themselves. Not only do they feel supported by their peers and teachers, but they begin to build the skills and confidence to know that their dreams are actually within reach.

It all begins with engagement. Creating an engaging learning environment where students flourish goes beyond just providing hands-on experiences; it means developing a culture in which students are academically, emotionally and socially supported, and it goes far beyond their scores on the latest assignment. It means working to ensure that their education covers every dimension of their lives.

This defining moment came to light during a national photoshoot with Arby’s. I was excited that 3DE, JA and myself, were going to be a part of something and a brand as iconic and salient as Arby’s. Of course, it’s not about our organizations or us. It’s about the power of our mission to transform education and lives, and in this instance that story would unfold through Courteciya, a rising senior at Banneker High School whose smile and determination are contagious.

I was excited to experience this alongside Courteciya. To see her excitement as she got to have her makeup and wardrobe done, and pose for the camera, but I didn’t expect the day to become a defining moment in her personal growth, and my own professional life.

It was so much more than a photo shoot for her. It was a day spent amongst professionals –artists, stylists, photographers, national marketing firm consultants. It was fast, orchestrated, busy. To any non-marketing or advertising buff, it was foreign and even intimidating.

When you first meet Courteciya she is a little soft spoken and reserved, but as she got comfortable she put herself out there. She started asking questions – the very first a thoughtful one about the end goal of the shoot and the emotion they were hoping to capture. From there a dialog opened up and suddenly a 16-year-old was an equal in the space among professionals.

The conversation continued - What kind of shot are you looking for? What role does my outfit play in how the photo comes across? How does this all get translated to something that will be in every single Arby’s store?

She owned it and recognized that she was part of something bigger. Her actions reflected that she understood the business of the day and she delivered on meeting every goal and objective – positioning herself to be an integral piece in achieving the now collective end goal.

It was exposure to a world that Courteciya had never seen, in a setting that she likely would’ve never experienced without 3DE. For the day, she wasn’t just a student – she was a model. A model in front of the camera, but more importantly for others.

When I started reflecting back on the day I realized that her engagement and maturity were no accident – she had been unknowingly preparing for this moment for the three years prior. Every site visit that tested her nerves before presenting to a panel of professionals, every case challenge that she was forced to work with people outside of her comfort zone, every lesson that challenged her to look beyond the face value and to analyze a situation, to ask the right questions to get to the desired point. All of these moments, combined with the overall culture of persistence and community that had formed at 3DE at Banneker High School, had made her ready.

By the end of the day, Courteciya wasn’t ready to say goodbye. I watched her transition from a nervous teen to joking and conversing with professionals she’d shared the day with. Everyone was impressed – to watch a high school student carry herself with such poise, and to be engaged in something that was larger than herself – how could you not be inspired?

It’s been months since that day and Courteciya is still in regular contact with the adults she met that day. Is she going to become a creative director, marketing manager or national photographer? Probably not -- she wants to be a vet.  What I do know though, is that she can hold her own in unfamiliar situations and thinks beyond the world she knew when she entered 3DE at Banneker High School just four years ago.

These are the kinds of moments that begin to define a student’s trajectory.

What was just another day at work for a handful of professionals ended up being a defining moment for a student, and one of the first times I internalized the full impact and opportunity that 3DE represents for students. That’s the difference between a conventional high school experience and 3DE. That kind of impact is what we mean by education for every dimension of life.

Sarah Lippert is on the Marketing Team at JA of Georgia.

More than hopes and dreams: JA Academy

Daniel’s growth while in the JA Academy has been monumental. To go from a student who didn’t go out of his way to avoid trouble, to a student who is respected by his peers and sitting at the top of his class is no small feat.

As the oldest child, his determination to change the narrative for his family pushed him to get his head in the game and commit to becoming successful. The comradery and culture of JA Academy has helped to open his eyes to the opportunities that exist beyond the classroom walls, and has given him the skills and support to actual act on those opportunities.

Daniel’s sense of pride in the person he is becoming, and the responsibility he has to lead the way for his family and peers is an inspiration to us all.

Hear more of his story here.