JA in a Day at Menomonie Middle School

For the second year in a row, Junior Achievement of Wisconsin has provided Menomonie Middle School with a phenomenal career event: JA in a Day. Thirty area professionals took time out of their day to help all of our 8th-grade students explore options for their future. Students began their day with a keynote address by John Heike from the Waznik Heike Group. He talked about not giving up and persevering, which was a perfect way to start the day.

Students then completed four rotations throughout the morning. Representatives from 3M, Cardinal FG, and WESTconsin Credit Union taught lessons on Soft Skills. Volunteers from Cardinal FG, State Farm, and Nicolet Bank taught lessons on Career Paths. Students had the opportunity to listen to local entrepreneurs from EXA Sports, Culver's, and Rejuvenate Salon & Spa. There was also a career fair, with booths hosted by: WI Department of of Natural Resources, Cedar Corporation, Frandsen Bank & Trust, UW-Stout, Menomonie Fire Department, Mayo Clinic, Holiday Vacations, Beacon Mental Health, 3M, Dunn County District Attorney’s Office, Menomonie Police Department, Nestle, the City of Menomonie, Cardinal FG, and Bill's Distributing.

Students overwhelmingly had positive things to say about the day. “I thought it was going to be boring, but it was so interesting! My favorite was the entrepreneur panel,” said one student. Teachers reported students couldn’t stop talking about it throughout the rest of the day.

We at MMS are so grateful to the Junior Achievement organization and volunteers for providing such an invaluable career exploration opportunity for our students. We look forward to hosting this event for years to come!

If there are any community members who would like to volunteer for next year’s event, please contact Alisha Klemish at AKlemish@jawis.org.

Submitted article.