Brooke Ayers, senior, spoke at the Junior Achievement Spirit of Achievement Awards on Thursday, March 7th. Here is a snippet from her speech and what 3DE has done for her:

In 9th grade I was extremely shy. I would not show up to school on presentation days, but that meant that I was letting the rest of my group down, so I started to come to class for those days.

I remember in 10th grade that’s when it all clicked! We were having a culminating event at USF with our biggest audience so far and when it was my team’s turn to present, the judges had so many questions and something funny happened: I SPOKE UP!  

Once it all clicked, my passion for business started to grow. I joined Future Business Leaders of America and decided to get my first job! My passion then really grew in 11th grade as we worked on entrepreneurial project: starting a whole business from scratch. I took the lead role in my group, and learned so much I began making plans for my own dream business: a one stop shop animal hospital!  

Now, in 12th grade, my confidence has grown so much that I’m now the Cheer team captain! I’ve developed so many great leadership qualities I’ve been promoted to manager at my job! And most importantly, my passion for business has skyrocketed and I’ve become the President of the Future Business Leaders of America club and will be presenting my animal hospital business concept at the State competition!  

Before 3DE, I don’t think I would have ever considered the opportunities that led me to where I am now. I am grateful for everything I’ve learned, and I know there are so many JA students with stories like this to tell, so please let’s direct our attention to the screens!  

If you would like more information about the 3DE program, please feel free to contact your student's school counselor or email Mrs. Kershaw at kershawr@pcsb.org.