"Success Teaches Success"

Junior Achievement and Area Business People Team Up to Teach Success Skills to Students

Deborah Turner's Third Block Infomation Technologies Class at Benton Harbor High School pose with their Junior Achievement Success Skills "team." Back row, l - r: Pete Whitehead, retired President/CEO of Atlantic Automotive; Eddie Anderson, Director of Student Services at Lake Michigan College; Sue Cipares, President of Junior Achievement of Michiana; Dr. Richard Pappas, President of Lake Michigan College; David Whitwam, retired President/CEO of Whirlpool; Lee Gill, Dean, Institute for Diversity and Leadership, Lake Michigan College and the JA Consultant for this class; and Deborah Turner, Information Technology Class teacher

       What do David Whitwam, Pete Whitehead, Dr. Richard Pappas, Eddy Anderson, Lee Gill, Paula Maggard, Kelly Knowlton, LaDonia Watkins, and Lindsey Golliday all have in common? These area business people all took time out of their busy schedules on Thursday, 16 December, to share some of their expertise with Benton Harbor High School students as part of the Junior Achievement Success Skills program.

       The eight-week JA Success Skills program is designed to teach students the practical interpersonal skills necessary for getting and keeping a job. Success Skills emphasizes workplace ethics, effective communication, influencing others, teamwork, and preparation for job interviews. A volunteer consultant from the business community presents the lessons to the class, but the format of the program lends itself well to guest speakers.

       David Whitwam, retired President and CEO of Whirlpool Corporation, talked to students in teacher Deborah Turner's Third Block Information Technology Class about teamwork and, in his words, "Using the richness of diversity to get the best solution." We are all different, he told students, and different is good. The job of an effective team is to appreciate those differences and utilize them to the best advantage.

       Students listened raptly, and then grew excited as they connected his practical words with the theory they'd been learning from their Junior Achievement volunteer consultant, Lee Gill, Dean of the Institute for Diversity and Leadership at Lake Michigan College.

       Mr. Gill is particularly enthusiastic about the JA program. He says, "As a student at South Bend Washington High School, I joined Junior Achievement in the early sixties. The experience opened my eyes to new horizons of possibilities of which heretofore, growing up as a young African American male, I had not been aware…Above all, I learned that I could be good at something beyond sports. Those lessons…laid a cornerstone for my success today."

       Hoping to inspire his students similarly, Lee has invited several community leaders to participate in his class, including, in addition to David Whitwam: Pete Whitehead, retired President/CEO of Atlantic Automotive; Dr. Richard Pappas, President of Lake Michigan College; and Eddie Anderson, Director of Student Services at LMC. This is a win-win situation for all involved. Not only do the students enjoy the benefit of different perspectives, ranges of experience, and communication styles, but business leaders whose schedules may not allow them to commit to consulting for the entire 8 - 10 weeks still welcome the opportunity to interact with and motivate students.

       As evidenced by their reaction to Mr. Whitwam's presentation, students ARE learning the skills necessary for them to be successful. For instance, Adrianna McCoy-Garcia, practices the interpersonal skills she has learned by introducing herself to each classroom visitor with a smile, direct eye contact, a pleasant voice, and a firm handshake.

       Chinelli Morrow is also enthusiastic about the program. "It's teaching us about job interviews and how to prepare for them," she says. "What to say, what not to say, how to dress, and personal hygiene."

       Job interviews are exactly what is on the agenda for Deborah Turner's Fourth Block class. For this last presentation in the class's Success Skills program, their consultant Paula Maggard from Whirlpool invited Whirlpool colleagues and community business owners into the classroom to conduct actual job interviews. At stake: possible summer jobs and Whirlpool internships for students.

       When asked, "What did you do to prepare for this interview," Fourth Block student Meleena Wade replied unhesitatingly: "I built up a lot of courage!"

       "These students have a right to be nervous," Deborah Turner said. "This isn't just practice. If they do well, they may be called in for additional interviews for real jobs."

       Tery Stokes from Popeyes had to cancel due to a family emergency, but LaDonia Watkins and Kelly Knowlton, from Whirlpool, and Lindsey Golliday, a Whirlpool employee who also owns his own business, Baby Fresh Kids Apparel, made notes about each student interviewed to pass along. When Ms. Watkins and Mr. Golliday were introduced as successful graduates of BH HS, students cheered.

       "These young people need more 'success stories' from their own school," Mrs. Turner stated. "Not just professional athletes and film stars, but people who live and work right here in this community."

        Mrs. Turner is determined that her own students will be the future 'success stories.' The Information Technology class is required for graduation, and designed not only to help students attain computer literacy, but also to gain the vocational and career prep information they'll need to become productive members of the workforce.

       She learned of the Junior Achievement programs from JA's website. "I just happened upon it," she says. "As I read through the consultant lists, I said to myself, 'I know that person, and I know that person, and I know that person. How do I get them into my classroom?"

       A click on the "Program Descriptions" link brought her to the High School programs, and Success Skills sounded like exactly what she was looking for. "I called the JA office and asked 'how do I sign up?'" she remembers.

       Her students are glad she did. After the interviews were finished and the results discussed, consultant Paula Maggard asked, "Do any of you think you would have been prepared for this if you hadn't had Junior Achievement?"

       The response was a resounding, "NO!"

       There were five Success Skills programs in that fall term at BH HS, three in Ms. Turner's classes and two with Jennifer Natzel's Information Technology classes. Other consultants for the fall term were Tony Thomas of Office Depot, Jung Lee of Whirlpool, and Joann Krettek of Chemical Bank Shoreline.

       . The JA Success Skills program at Benton Harbor High Schools were funded, in part, by the Berrien Community Foundation and the Upton Foundation. The rest of the support comes from donations from area businesses.

       If you would like more information on consulting, being a guest speaker, or sponsoring a class financially, or would just like to share some aspect of your JA experience with us all, please call us at (269) 983-7579 or email info@michianaja.org.