Springfield Central High Students Wins $1250 Scholarship in JA Worldwide Essay Contest

July 15, 2009

[Springfield, MA] Noah Joseph, a junior at Springfield Central High School, and a participant in the first JA Academy Program in Western Massachusetts, was awarded second place in the JA Worldwide Careers with a Purpose Essay Competition. Noah’s essay had to express his personal career choice and what has inspired him to select that particular career. The essay also had to include each of the seven concepts presented in the JA Careers with a Purpose program: life roles, maxims, values, jobs vs. career, career clusters and pathways, decision-making process, and personal ethic. Noah will receive $1250 for his essay. The competition was funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Noah completed the JA Careers with a Purpose program as part of the seven week JA Academy curriculum. Volunteers from Savage Arms in Westfield presented the JA program to the high school students at Elms College. When Vincent Carbone, Vice President of Savage Arms, and a JA Academy Volunteer was notified of Noah’s successful essay he said, “We are all pleased to hear that Noah is receiving this award. This is what JA is all about, bringing out the potential that all young people have within them.”

Nicole Denette and Lynn Gamble from Elms College served as College Coordinators, overseeing the students’ college experience.

Upon learning that he had been awarded Second Place in the Essay Contest, Noah said “I felt the program was great, especially for high school students who are unsure of what they want to do with their lives. Winning is great! Everyone likes to win. In any type of competition whether it be athletic, academic, or an essay competition like this always put forth your best effort, stay true to yourself, and your hard work will pay off in one form or another.”

Here is an excerpt from Noah’s award winning essay: “My noble purpose in this world is to save lives. Since I cannot wear a cape and fly around stopping bullets in my hand the next closest thing to that is being a doctor. Having the ability to make a difference in the lives of many is the only thing I see myself doing in the near future.” To read Noah’s entire essay and learn more about JA in Western Massachusetts, please visit our web site at http://www.jawm.org.

About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and free enterprise. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA provides in-school and after-school programs for students in grades K-12. JA offers educational programs that focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and career development. Today more than Junior Achievement Worldwide reaches almost seven million students in 98 countries. For more information, visit www.jawm.org.