Junior Achievement of Central Texas hosted its reimagined JA Summit: Financial Equity & Work Readiness—and what a day it was! Held at the Charles Schwab Event Center in Austin, the Summit welcomed over 50 professionals and 60 high school students from across the Greater Austin area for an immersive, hands-on experience centered around career readiness, financial empowerment, and goal setting for the future.
This year’s Summit, built on the success of the former F.E.M. Forum (Financial Equity Mission), delivered even more impact, energy, and opportunity for young people on the brink of big decisions about their futures.
Inspiring highlights of the day came from:
Emcee, Destin George Bell – CEO & Co-Founder, Card.io,
Speaker, Raudy Perez- Senior Director, External Diversity Partnerships at Experian,
Student speakers Lailah and Robert from Northeast Early College High School
Panel of Austin leaders, who brought honesty, encouragement, and practical insights from their own career journeys. Each panelist shared personal stories of growth, resilience, and the unexpected paths that led them to where they are today. Students were energized by the panelists’ transparency about challenges they’ve overcome and their encouragement to be bold, curious, and persistent in their pursuits.
Lisa Kottler – Partner, Strategic Growth & Innovation, KWP Growth Partners
Joel Coffman – Executive Director, RecognizeGood | VP Marketing, TyRex Group
Ira Mercado-Dixon – National Sales Account Executive, Delta Air Lines
Nina Means – Director, ACC Fashion Incubator
Dr. Laura Kincheloe – Director of Nursing Practice, Texas Nurses Association
Ayah Alomari, EIT – Design Engineer, KPFF & Engineers without Borders
During the 5‑3‑1 Scholarship Coaching session, students explored their aspirations through a practical, goal-oriented lens by answering a core prompt: What are your 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year goals? How do you plan to achieve your goals for each time frame to get to your end 5-year goal? Students were encouraged to focus on professional, career, and financial goals. For each time frame, they provided context about why the goal mattered to them and how it supported their vision for future success. Through guided coaching, they developed thoughtful and financially realistic plans to achieve each goal—learning how to break big dreams into actionable steps.
This structured coaching gave students clarity, confidence, and practical tools to make informed decisions about their futures. It also served as the start to an incredible scholarship opportunity for $15,000 or $5,000 thanks to our partners at Experian.
Following the program, students jumped into Speed Career Networking, where they had the opportunity to connect with professionals from several industries. Professionals generously gave their time to meet with students in fast-paced, engaging conversations that helped demystify career paths and strengthen essential networking skills. These quick conversations sparked curiosity and provided industry insight
Thank You to Our Partners
This powerful day of discovery and connection would not have been possible without our incredible partners from Delta Air Lines, Experian, H-E-B, EY, Forbright Bank, Deloitte, UFCU, Comerica, Austin Independent School District, and Charles Schwab. From sharing stories during networking to funding key special programs like this, your commitment makes all the difference.
Together, we’re helping students build bold futures—with the tools, encouragement, and opportunities they deserve. If you’re an educator, employer, or community leader who wants to help students connect the dots between the classroom and their future, we’d love to hear from you.
