When I (Rachel) moved to Nashville, I was exploring a lot of options. I had strong business skills but education had always been an important part of my life and I was looking to find some way to blend the two. When I heard about Junior Achievement, it immediately resonated with me. After all, economics is life! Joining the team at JA was a natural way to use my business skills while staying true to my passion for education and economics. I have worked for Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee for almost 19 years and currently serve as the Senior Director of Operations & Programs. 

My 13 year old daughter Eleanor has been around JA her entire life! In fact, Eleanor first visited JA when she was six weeks old to celebrate a milestone birthday for our president! Over the years, she has visited the office countless times and is familiar with all the nooks and crannies of JA BizTown. When she was younger, she would take the dogs from the Mars Pet Adoption Center on walks around the building when they got lonely. In her first couple of years in elementary school she had JA volunteers come to her classroom and enjoyed the activities. More recently, Eleanor was the CFO of Journeys in JA BizTown when her fifth grade class attended the program. She has experienced JA Summer Camp and was a student emcee for JA's 2023 Nashville Business Hall of Fame event when we inducted Butch Spyridon as a laureate. It has been great to see her confidence and financial skills grow, and she's always eager to share the impact with groups we have at JA! 

Eleanor and I are both passionate about JA and want more kids to have access to our impactful programs.

JA is always looking for ways to adapt to meet the changing demands of our schools and communities. As I got more involved with programming, I could see the ways that JA respondes to gaps in academic education and creates bridges between classroom learning and real world experiences. One of my favorite parts of working for JA is working creatively with the team to make sure our programs remain relevant as our global economy evolves and changes.

Volunteers are also a key part of all our programs. It's not just about giving knowledge to our youth, or even allowing them to practice things in a safe environment, but it's the inspiration and engagement that a caring adult brings.

As much as I love this program, there is so much more to Junior Achievement than JA BizTown! JA Finance Park opened in 2019 and offers 7-12 grade students the chance to deeply dive into personal budgeting. Our classroom programs cover the full K-12 experience, starting with kindergarteners and going all the way to our robust high school programs. These programs can happen in every community where we can connect a volunteer with the classroom! Elementary school students explore skills centered on wants and needs, opportunities for future career paths, and their role in the community. In middle school, students develop budgeting and soft skills while learning how to start their own pop-up business. High school students explore high growth career options and entrepreneurial thinking through JA Take Stock in Your Future, JA Be Entrepreneurial and more. Even beyond school, the tools that JA provides help prepare our young people for life.

Eleanor and I want to ensure more kids have access to JA's powerful programs. We would love for you to consider supporting JA and our page. Our goal is to raise $2,500 so JA can reach over 36,000 kids throughout Middle Tennessee this year. Thanks for your consideration!