Attending JA Business Week for the first time, I was hoping to get a taste of the business world; something to give me an understanding of business and whether it’s something I want to pursue.

What I ended up getting out of the week was that – and so much more.  Going from a messy brainstormed list of bullet-point ideas to a refined product, project proposal, and presentation was an insightful experience both for product development and working professionally with other people.

At the beginning of JA Business Week, I didn’t know a single other person, but I always felt welcomed and included. At the end of the week, I didn’t think of my company as a company but as a close team.  The combination of collaboration, problem solving, team building activities, working through adversity, etc. resulted in a very rewarding experience that I will cherish for years to come.

While working with my company on our phone case was the meat and potatoes of the week, there were plenty of other activities that provided the perfect mix of entertainment and business education.  For example, the etiquette dinner not only had great food but gave me a taste of an important skill in the business world.  My favorite activity was the Entrepreneurial Mentoring Lunch – meeting several entrepreneurs and having conversations with them was an inspiring experience.

The most important thing that I’ll take away from JA Business Week was my leadership experience and the feedback I received from my awesome company advisor.  After each company meeting, my advisor would give me feedback on how I was doing leading the group, as well as advice for what to do next.  I learned a lot from her, which was the cherry on top of my already amazing experience!

-Duncan Mazza
JA Business Week student