This is me in 5th grade – sporting my hard-won field day ribbons pinned to my sweatshirt. My JA story starts years ago, when I was in 5th grade, and JA came to my school to teach a course. The topic was assembly line production, and we assembled ballpoint click pens as a class. I don’t remember all the details from my elementary school years, but I do remember that lesson, and I kept that pen forever – I think I still have it somewhere!
Later, while attending college, I was excited to learn that my Entrepreneurship instructor would have all of us go into a local classroom and teach a JA unit. I enjoyed engaging with the organization once again, this time as an instructor.
When I started my career with FirstBank after college, I learned that FirstBank was a long-time partner of JA. It was familiar ground for me to pick up one of those plastic briefcases filled with learning materials and head into a classroom. I volunteered several times: my favorite lesson to teach was the one where the kids assembled “donuts” using ingredient stickers and paper donuts. It was so fun!
I am now a proud JA Board Member, representing FirstBank and continuing to volunteer at JA Finance Park, the JA Dream Accelerator, and helping to organize one of JA’s largest Bowl-A-Thon employer participant groups each year!
I am fully bought into the value that this organization provides and the critical importance of learning about personal financial literacy at a young age. It is one of the strongest of all foundations that we can provide for our youth.
Molly Duvall currently sits on the Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain Board of Directors.
