Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain (JA) is happy to announce Sabrina Weber as the 2026 JA Educator of the Year. For more than 20 years in education, Sabrina has dedicated her career to helping students connect classroom learning to the real world, inspiring and empowering the next generation.
Sabrina’s connection to JA stretches back more than a decade. While teaching middle school, she incorporated JA Finance Park into her finance program, giving students the opportunity to move beyond textbooks and experience real-world financial decision-making. For Sabrina, that practical application has always been the key.
“Business can tend to be pretty boring in class. It’s very book-based and not as hands-on as a lot of the other Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs,” Sabrina explained. “Most students learn by actually doing and seeing things in real life. JA has brought the real-world aspect of business into my classroom.”
That belief continues to drive her work today as the Business Pathway Teacher and FBLA Advisor at Roosevelt High School in Johnstown, CO, where she has expanded opportunities for students through programs such as the JA Stock Market Challenge. Sabrina has seen firsthand how immersive experiences can transform student engagement.
“It’s one thing to learn about stocks on paper, but to actually get to be a part of that live-action stock trading experience makes students excited about business and shows them what it really is.”
A major theme throughout Sabrina’s experience with JA is the support provided by the people behind the programs. She spoke extensively about the value of having JA staff work alongside educators to make opportunities possible for students.
“I think that’s something that teachers really need, is someone who will actually come alongside the many, many different things that we’re doing.”
Sabrina’s partnership with JA helped create leadership experiences for students through the JA High School Heroes program (now JA Future Ready Leaders), where students were trained and empowered to teach younger learners. Both she and her class found the experience very valuable, allowing students to lead and grow in confidence through hands-on service and teaching experiences.
JA’s impact on students has been profound. Sabrina recalled JA Finance Park experiences that showed her class the realities of budgeting and personal finance. Students who previously viewed family financial decisions differently began to understand the challenges adults face.
“I can’t tell you how many times every semester I had students who were like, ‘My mom is not telling me no because she doesn’t want me to have these things. She’s saying no because she actually can’t afford them,’” Sabrina reflected. “Putting them in that real-world scenario really opened their eyes.”
More recently, mock interviews organized through JA allowed students to connect directly with professionals. Sabrina described students meeting industry experts and discovering pathways to future careers. In one example, students interested in aviation formed connections that led to flight training opportunities.
For Sabrina, the benefits extend beyond students. The partnership has helped her deliver experiences she would not be able to coordinate alone.
“To have Junior Achievement as a resource and honestly as a partner in my classroom, it helps,” Sabrina said. “It elevates our programming, and it gives students what I think every teacher actually really desires: to give students real-world experiences that they need for life.”
