Junior Achievement (JA) of Central Maryland, an organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy, announced today that they are one month away from hosting the second annual JA ‘18 Under 18’ awards program.
The winners will be announced in Baltimore Magazine on May 13th, 2024, which will feature the students’ headshots and a write-up about their accomplishments. The JA 18 Under 18 award event will be held on June 5th, 2024, at the Youth Workforce and Innovation Center located at 1725 Twin Springs Rd Baltimore, MD 21227 to celebrate the achievements of the movers and shakers.
“With just one month until the event and a few short days until we reveal the winners, we are ramping up local awareness about the award program,” said JA Central Maryland President, Paul Kappel Jr. “Our goal is to bring our community together to celebrate the achievements of such accomplished young people and continue to shed light on these students who represent our future leaders, change makers, and innovators.”
The JA 18 Under 18 program recognizes students who demonstrate exceptional entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, community service, and an overall extraordinary skillset. Past recipients include nonprofit founders, entrepreneurs, activists, and scientists.
Emma Wilson, a 2023 award recipient, is today a freshman at University of Maryland, where she currently serves on the student alumni leadership council and Students Involved in Public Health program. She is also a brain health ambassador for Children’s National Hospital in D.C.
She received the JA 18 Under 18 award as a student at George Washington Carver Center where she participated in the Outstanding Young Women Leaders program and created a mental health pamphlet that was distributed to every school in county.
“A lot of the opportunities and work I take on are thankless jobs, I don’t look for a thank you, it’s self-fulfilling, but to be recognized in JA’s 18 Under 18 program was really special to me and encouraged me to continue working on myself,” she said.
Like Emma, members of this year’s class feature honorees representing a cross-section of Maryland all aiming for a bright and promising future.
The 2024 recipients have been chosen by a panel of judges in Maryland’s corporate, non-profit, community and educational sectors.
Click here to read more about JA’s 18 Under 18 program. To become a sponsor of JA’s18 Under 18 award program, click here.
To learn more about Junior Achievement and its impact on youth, workforce and the economy, click here.
About JA of Central Maryland
Junior Achievement of Central Maryland is part of the largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JACMD provides hands-on programs that show more than 40,000 K-12 students each year the realities of how careers, money, and business ownership work. JA experiences are proven to give students the edge in college completion, career readiness, earning potential, and business start-up. For more information, visit jamaryland.org.
