Volunteer Testimonials

Donor and Sponsor Testimonials

Bridget Mayberry, Teacher
Fisher Middle School, San Jose

These kids will remember you for the rest of their lives

(talking about a volunteer's impact on students)

Craig Akins, Volunteer
Intel

I get a lot out of my experience as a JA volunteer - working with the students is a lot of fun; especially when they engage and are excited about learning - teaching them something new or even helping them understand some of the things their parents do at home or at work - it is really rewarding to see their desire to participate, answer questions and interact with their classmates.

Janyce Harper, JA Volunteer
Siemens

Not only did the students give me great feedback, I have also received feedback from several of their parents expressing their appreciation for my teaching the JA program. Knowing how rare it is for 4th and 5th graders to volunteer ANY information about school, I was particularly gratified to know that the kids were talking about JA at home and expressing how much they enjoyed and benefited from the program. That's what I'd call a home run.

Geno Ashley, Partner
Hopkins & Carley Law Firm, & JA Board member

I truly enjoyed just seeing the lights click on with the kids when you give them practical examples and applications for the skills they are learning in school. It was very satisfying watching 7th graders come up with a great business plan for surfboard and skate shop. They realized it's not just about riding a skateboard outside. It takes math to keep the books and English to write the business plan and create marketing.

Greg Belanger, President Technology & life Sciences Division, former JA Board Member
Comerica Bank

Volunteering is what keeps me involved with JA since 1995. The students have such a high appreciation of the classes and the people coming in to teach. The classes seem to be well accepted by both the teachers and the students. Perhaps a high point was the 6th grade class I taught in a poor neighborhood where kids might live in hotels and generally live in a tenuous existence. The 6th grade class teaches about International Trade. The students really grasped the concepts of international trade and foreign currency and the rest of the material. Their eyes lit up as they engaged in the activities. There was virtually nothing but enthusiasm. This experience is not what I would have anticipated given the students' life-challenges. And I have enjoyed the fact that some of our employees who have taught in the classes are now excited about their efforts with JA and are enjoying their community involvement.

Michael Bohmer, Volunteer

I volunteer with JA to give back what was once given to me - a fundamental understanding of, and appreciation for, what makes America and its brand of capitalism so unique. An appreciation that we operate in the freest free enterprise system in the world thanks to individual liberty and responsibility. The pioneering spirit is an ideal worth passing on.

Mary Breede, Volunteer
Seagate Technology

I am 100% supportive of Junior Achievement's efforts. I appreciate how easy they make it for everyone to volunteer and as a parent I value what JA has provided my children through the program.

Darrell Brigance, Mainframe Product Engineer & Job Shadow volunteer
Applied Materials

Students don't get to see the industry from the inside. If I were a kid I would want to see this.

Scott Clark, JA Alum and Job Shadow volunteer
BioSpace

[The] main reason that I've been involved this long is the joy I get from working with high schoolers. They are inquisitive and it's fun watching them learn. They keep me on my toes and aren't afraid to challenge me about anything

Drew Corbett, Volunteer
Intel

Volunteering for Junior Achievement continues to be a valuable experience for me. Over the past three years, it has given me the opportunity to work with over 150 talented 12th graders and their outstanding teacher, and it has provided the students a chance to experience the practical, every-day applications of the course material they are studying.

David Springer, JA Volunteer
Intel

The best days occur when the class takes your material some place unexpected.

John Dow, JA Titan Volunteer
Sandisk, Corp.

"It's a terrific experience to watch the students learn and develop strategies with complex, interrelated decisions. …One of the primary messages is "life is filled with opportunities and missed opportunities" I think it is wonderful that Junior Achievement, ...have created this unique learning opportunity."

Jamie Van Den Ven
Chair, Junior Achievement & Retired Intel Corp. Division Manger

I enjoy looking at the world through kids' eyes. The kids challenge me. They challenge my ideas. They ask good questions and challenge their own beliefs. They reaffirm my faith in our country and in our future. They are the highlight of my day or month.

Lynn A. Dreeszen, Retired & JA Volunteer
Procter & Gamble

I have participated off and on over the past 20 years, first with Project Business, then Project Math, then Go Figure. When I look out at a classroom of 6th graders I try to remember what it was like to be 11 years old. When I was that age my classmates and I were less well-off, but we had a far richer learning experience. Of that I'm sure! And it makes me feel good to make up a little of the deficit for these kids.

Rick Fabiano, VP of Biz Dev and JA Company Alum
Netgear

A friend invited me to go along to a JA meeting. I remember we made meat tenderizers out of wooden blocks with metal spikes. I don't think our company was successful. But I learned it's really important to understand the practical applications of what we learn in school. I learned that projects take teamwork and people with diverse interests and skills. Looking back, my JA experience was a good foundation for the start-up I joined that recently went public: Netgear.

Adam Gregory, Former Silicon Valley Market President & JA Board Member
Bank of America

My team and I tremendously enjoyed volunteering in the classroom where we could directly connect with the students and broaden their thinking. I firmly believe in what JA does to bring real life experience to kids who may not be exposed to business and professional life.

David Heiman, JA Volunteer
Salomon Smith Barney

If I can help dispel some of the mystery about how the business world operates, I that's an hour well spent.

Debra Faraone Hodges, Director, Special Projects and Job Shadow volunteer
Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara

I had the pleasure of meeting students from Pegasus and Evergreen Valley. Shining stars all. You should be proud that they represented their schools so well.

Gail Jacobs, PR Manager and Job Shadow volunteer
Agilent Labs

As the students boarded their bus [to leave], they were all smiles and were emanating energy from the great day they ha at Labs. Perhaps a few of them saw a glimpse into what their future may possibly hold.

Louie Lombardo, Director and Chief Engineer, Special Programs & JA Board Member
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company

As a growing aerospace company, Lockheed wants to recruit and encourage kids to stay in school and go on to college to become engineers. Several of our company programs were already touching the community, but with JA we had the opportunity to shape it. On a personal level, being in the classroom is fun and very rewarding. The moment when a student "gets it", a connection is made that is hard to describe but very gratifying. It's also knowing that you help move students along the path and hopefully encourage them to stay in school, fulfill their dreams, and have a successful career.

Carol MacKinlay, Principal and JA in a Day Volunteer
The Mason Group & JA Board Member

As a volunteer in Spring 2002 JA in a Day, I enjoyed teaching the 4th grade class where students learned the basics of a simple business and about different career choices. It reminded me that as a high school junior and senior, JA had great impact on my life. I learned a lot from my own JA business mentors: teamwork, the division of labor, and how a simple business works versus the complexity of a corporation. Additionally, I understood that there were more career choices than just going into a large corporation. Finally I appreciated the enthusiasm for education that I saw in the many business leaders who worked with JA. It was exciting to become a role model in my students' eyes.

Jack Moyer, Vice President of HR
Chordiant & JA Board Member

I'm proud of the kids I work with during JA in a Day. I met some great kids, and saw their potential.

Theo Olsen, Community Relations Specialist and Job Shadow participant
Synopsys

Working with the students is a truly rewarding experience as you see their enthusiasm to learn. My experience was so positive that I have continued to volunteer as a reading tutor.

Rich Parsons, Vice Presidentand Retired JA Board Member
Siemens

Over the years, the biggest satisfaction is the impact on young people. They respond, ask questions, and listen to what you say.

Gloria Pearson
Intel

It's imperative for technically inclined people to help bring technology and new ideas into the classrooms. If we want education to improve, then we need to help.

Jamie Van Den Ven
Chair, Junior Achievement & Retired Intel Corp. Division Manger

Whatever the young people I have touched have gained from my experience and insight is nothing compared to what they have given me. The joy and pride of seeing their accomplishments is something more precious than gold.

Vipin Samar, Saratoga JA Volunteer
letter to the editor

Dear Editor, As a parent, I was absolutely delighted to see your coverage of the junior achievement program at Nimitz in Cupertino Courier. During last couple of months, some of the parents had joined hands at the Collins Elementary School in Cupertino to offer the Junior Achievement program as a "before-school" activity for 2, 3, 4 and 5th grade kids. We think that the content, and the curriculum is absolutely wonderful and enriching -- it is well thought through, quite relevant for the grade level, and with zero cost! Not sure as to what can beat this type of offer! You pointed out that many schools are requesting these programs, but there are not many companies who can provide the volunteers. In my humble opinion, this is something that can be taught by almost any parent with only a hour or or less of preparation time. The experience for both the parent volunteers and the kids was so rewarding that this program should perhaps be offered by parent volunteers during regular school hours to all the kids, and that to not just at the elementary school level, but also for the middle school and high school. Just another parent volunteer,

Tara Y. Samuels, JA Volunteer
Niku Corp.

I volunteer for Junior Achievement because I know the need exists. As a teenager, I had millions of questions about the business world but no role models to ask. Now, in just a few hours, I can share lessons that took me years to learn.

Wolfgang Schaecter, Retired & JA Volunteer
ESL Corporation

My best JA experience was working with high school kids - watching them learn how to make products, solve problems, and run the business.

Aaron Shepard, Job Shadow Volunteer
SBC

Groundhog Job Shadow Day was a success. The students really appreciated everyone's efforts and acquired great deal of knowledge that will last them a lifetime.

David Springer, JA Volunteer
Intel

Learning is an emotional event for this [7th/8th] grade level. When the class is into the lesson, they are enthusiastic and creative… If you lost their interest, you are speaking into an empty room. Success as a teacher is very clear.

Jamie Van Den Ven
Chair, Junior Achievement & Retired Intel Corp. Division Manger

These students - fresh, enthusiastic, cocky, scared, and full of life - challenged me to think differently. They also inspired me. For so many of them, the challenges to complete their education made my own problems seem miniscule. Among these inspiring students was the young man who had a child of his own and was still going to class determined to graduate and make a better life for his son. There was also the young woman with colorful spiked hair fighting the pull of gangs, determined to stay in class and make something of herself.

Paul Reitmer, JA Volunteer
Siemens

I got more out of it than the kids.

Rachel Ann, Job Shadow Volunteer
Gear Up

The students really liked it and learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes. … They saw a blood vessel being cleaned (on a monitor).

Volunteer Testimonials

Student Testimonials