News Release: JAG-K Students Attend Wichita Startup Youth Day
Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas (JAG-K) students from Wichita North High School participated in the Wichita Startup Week’s Youth Day at Groover Labs on Monday, Sept. 30, where they learned about starting their own businesses.
Designed to inspire young people to explore entrepreneurship, Youth Day featured speakers who have started businesses in Wichita. The program, sponsored by the Kansas Health Foundation, led the attendees through the process of building a business from the Among the day’s activities, students competed in the composition and delivery of an “elevator pitch.”
JAG-K is a multi-year, in-school program for students in grades 6-12 that offers tools to successfully transition students into post-secondary school, the military, or directly into the workforce with marketable skills.
“The Wichita Startup Week provided students with an opportunity to interact with adults in the world of entrepreneurship and learn not only how they became successful but also some of the pitfalls and mishaps that they experienced along the way,” said Kareema Williams, JAG-K Career Specialist at Wichita North High School. “I believe it provided a safe and open environment for students to talk about ideas they have and things they want to pursue. I am excited that students got to see people who look like them succeed by realizing a need and creating their own opportunity.”
Youth Day was part of the weeklong series designed to energize the economic landscape of Kansas by connecting entrepreneurs to resources and providing them knowledge and support.
“We were really excited to bring Youth Day to Wichita Startup Week in 2023, and it was such a huge success that we had more students interested in joining us in 2024,” said Shae Blevins, a lead volunteer of Wichita Startup Week. “I would love to see it grow because we have so many entrepreneurship students in Wichita and the surrounding area.”
Among the activities of Youth Day, students listened to Kori DaCosta, a software engineer who developed Biio, a digital, contactless card that can be used to share contact information directly to any mobile device.
Roy Moye, III, founder of STEM Music, led the students through the simulation of creating a business from scratch.
“I enjoyed learning about people that owned different businesses and how they became so successful,” said Ariana Piedra, a junior at Wichita North High School. “I learned how to stay following my dreams and becoming successful.”
“I learned tips and information on how to successfully run a business and overcome hardships,” added Wichita North junior Nadia Herrera. “I also learned a lot about the different kind of mindsets that people can have, which can help me learn how to communicate with different mindsets when navigating the business world.”
Kansas’ 114 JAG-K programs serve approximately 6,200 students in 48 school districts across the state. JAG-K Career Specialists help students graduate and learn career, leadership, and life skills by executing a nationally-accredited, evidence-based model. Participants must meet criteria to be selected for the program and have potential to overcome various barriers to post-secondary success. Last year, JAG-K had 805 high school graduates.
The 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization is a state affiliate of the national JAG program network which operates in 36 different states and territories. It is primarily funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant to the State of Kansas administered by the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). In addition to school districts and DCF, JAG-K partners with the Kansas Department of Education. Other JAG-K funding sources include ADM, AT&T, EagleU, Goldstein Charitable Trust, the JB and Anne Hodgdon Foundation, Honeywell, John Deere, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Gas Service, the Kansas Insurance Department, the Office of the Kansas State Bank Commissioner, United Way of Kaw Valley, United Way of the Plains, U.S. Bank and Walmart.
To learn more about JAG-K, visit www.jagkansas.org, or ‘Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas’ on Facebook and LinkedIn.