Northern California Junior Achievement Team Wins Second Place at National Student Leadership Summit

Image caption: Members of Talk Blox and SqueaKey Klean pose for the camera in front of the Capitol.

Washington, DC: Fifteen of Junior Achievement’s top student companies came to the Nation’s Capital to compete in the 2023 Junior Achievement National Student Summit from June 11 to June 15, 2023.

‘Talk Blox’, a team consisting of five high school students local to San Ramon and Dublin from Junior Achievement of Northern California (JA), received second place for JA Company of the Year at the National Student Leadership Summit (NSLS). They were also recognized for having the Best Company Report out of the fifteen student companies.

NSLS is a yearly event that gives Junior Achievement USA the opportunity to encourage young entrepreneurs to devise and market products or services and showcase their incredible accomplishments from this program. The Talk Blox team's mission was “to foster a sense of community and build stronger relationships and new connections by getting to know those around you.”

For their product, the students created a collaborative block-based game where players are challenged to remove blocks from a 3x3 tower and answer or pass questions and challenges that correspond with

the block removed. With the help of their mentor, Adam Cipriano from BSG Consulting, they were successful in creating a student-run company that learned about teamwork, building entrepreneur skills, and creating an impact in their communities through their product.

Company of the Year is awarded to student businesses that most effectively demonstrated their companies’ achievements, as well as the personal development of each team member. Only the top three companies receive this award each year. Each student company appeared before a panel of independent judges who measured the company’s performance against competition criteria and each other, paying close attention to company performance and each member’s personal development.

These Tri-Valley students demonstrated their business acumen, creativity, and entrepreneurial thinking through a live presentation to a panel of esteemed business leaders and exhibited their company's performance at an Entrepreneurship Expo on Capitol Hill.

Jacob Yuryev, a student from Belmont, was also recognized at the summit and won the Jim Sweeny Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence. This scholarship is awarded to a JA Company Program student in recognition of his or her accomplishments, role in the JA Company, and entrepreneurial potential.

‘SqueaKey Klean’, his team of students from San Mateo and San Francisco, joined ‘Talk Blox’ as another national qualifier from Northern California. They developed a sustainable, portable, and multi-purpose cleaning tool for your everyday sanitization needs.

“We are incredibly proud of the two JA teams and their achievements from this year's Summit,” said Cristene Burr, President and CEO of Junior Achievement of Northern California. “It was amazing to see these students be recognized for their efforts and teamwork. This transformational experience has changed the trajectory of their lives forever, and I was excited for the opportunity to experience it firsthand with them in Washington DC.”

Talk Blox, 2nd Place National Student Leadership Summit

Krish Bala, Dougherty Valley HS, San Ramon Shruti Kale, California HS, San Ramon
Samia Ahmer, Dublin HS, Dublin
Aditi Nanda, California HS, San Ramon Sadhana Tadepalli, Dougherty Valley HS

Mentor: Adam Cipriano, BSG Consulting

SqueaKey Klean, National Qualifier
Jacob Yuryev, Carlmont High School winner of CEO of the Year, National Student Leadership Summit Milad Rasoli, Carlmont High School, Belmont
Carmen Ng, Abraham Lincoln High School, SF
Sabeen Rasheed, Ruth Asawa SOTA High School, SF
Katrina Huynh, Abraham Lincoln, HS, SF
Mentor: Anthony Bagnulo, Tesla

Junior Achievement’s entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work readiness programs are delivered nationwide—typically in classrooms during the school day, by volunteer role models from the local business community.

About Junior Achievement USA® (JA)

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and financial choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches more than 3.2 million students annually in 102 markets across the United States, as part of more than 12.5 million students served by operations in 115 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

About Junior Achievement of Northern California

Junior Achievement’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Locally, JA NorCal connects students, educators, and business professionals together to build quality partnerships that empower young people to own their economic success by becoming financially literate, workforce ready, and equipped with entrepreneurial skills. During the 2022-23 school year, JA will impact over 60,000 students, agency-wide, in experiential, hands-on learning that enables them to connect their studies in school to real-world business and industry. Students will see first-hand how academic success can prepare them for a fruitful and meaningful future. Visit norcal.ja.org for more information.