COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Nov. 30, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Junior Achievement USA (JA) announced today that two JA National Student Leadership Summit Award winners met with President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, DC on November 25th as part of National Entrepreneurship Month, which is November. Joseph Fortuno, whose JA student company Herban Nation won the Microsoft Social Innovation Award as part of the 2015 JA National Student Leadership Summit in June; and Rachel Gorgas, who was CEO of CCA Today, the winner of the JA Company of the Year Award - powered by The Hartford, and also honored at the JA Summit in June; were joined by Junior Achievement USA President and CEO Jack Kosakowski as they met with President Obama.
"Young people with a desire to dream big and change the world through entrepreneurship are essential for the success of our nation, and Rachel and Joseph are great ambassadors of the entrepreneurial spirit," said Jack Kosakowski, President and CEO of Junior Achievement USA. "We are very proud of the 4.6 million young people we reach every year and honored to be part of President Obama's recognition of the important role young Americans can play in advancing innovation and prosperity through the entrepreneurial experience."
As part of National Entrepreneurship Month, JA has also partnered with the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to reach 10,000 students across the country through in-classroom mentoring experiences with entrepreneurs in communities nationwide.
About Junior Achievement USA® (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches 4.6 million students per year in 113 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.6 million students served by operations in 121 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.