For the first time ever, students from Colorado were selected as finalists for the national JA Company of the Year and JA Business Plan Challenge competitions. The finals were part of the JA National Student Leadership Summit held June 16 to 19 in Washington D.C. Only 24 teams were chosen from 14 areas across the U.S., based on extensive application process as a culmination of their JA programs. JA-Rocky Mountain, Inc. was represented by Coyote Castes and MissDevelopIT.

Coyote Cases from Monarch High School in Louisville was the JA Company of the Year Finalist. Students Noah Gambee, Aspen Fabrizio, Carly Gallant, Jenna Nguyen and Ally Roberts created and sold iPhone 5 cases with the Monarch High School mascot and donated a portion of the profits to the Autism Society of Boulder.

Jillian Troftgruben from Grandview High School in Aurora was the JA Business Plan Challenge finalist. Jillian presented her proposal for MissDevelopIT, a summer day camp for younger girls to get them interested in computer science.

Though neither team brought home a trophy, they did participate in a myriad of ‘stately’ activities, including:

• Networking Event hosted by BNI
• Microsoft Coding Seminar
• FedEx Access Seminar
• Time with Congressional Leaders during the Trade Fair
• Stage presentations judged by Senior Leaders representing; Accenture, The Hartford, the Sam’s Club Giving Foundation, FedEx, and the National Confectioner’s Association
• Awards Gala hosted by Jack Kosakowski and Leon Harris, with entertainment provided by Urban Nation

Please join us in congratulating these outstanding young people, who represented Colorado to the highest degree!