As Mia stood in front of a crowd of more than 250 people at her school, she lifted her head in a moment that redefined her story.
Mia’s team and other student groups at J.C. Harmon High School were presenting at the Culminating Event, the final event of each case challenge where students present solutions to real challenges brought into the classroom by local companies as part of 3DE by Junior Achievement. About two minutes into her group’s presentation, Mia realized no one on her team had looked up from their notecards to engage with the audience.
Mia’s peers, school administrators, and panel of judges filled the seats inside the J.C. Harmon auditorium, their eyes beaming toward her. Pushing back against those anxious feelings that come with public speaking, Mia put her comfort to the side and changed her team’s approach.
She faced her judges and spoke from her heart.
Small moments, big impact
As a junior, Mia was retaking a sophomore-level social studies class after not completing the credit the previous year. What could have been a discouraging experience became something more in Ms. Talia Baker’s classroom.
Ms. Baker approaches culminating events with intention, selecting teams based not just on past performance, but on where she sees the greatest opportunity for growth. When Mia’s team was chosen, it reflected a belief in her potential and gave her a chance to step into it.
In 3DE, students focus on six competencies throughout the year, building on each through their high school career. In the 10.5 learning unit, sophomore students are evaluated on the “Engaging Communication” competency.
Mia’s team tackled a case challenge from nbkc bank, developing a marketing and communications strategy to attract young people to sign up for the free checking account the bank offers.
Judges from nbkc bank and other local businesses scored several student groups and selected one winner at the Culminating Event. And although Mia’s team didn’t come out victorious, Mia showed the belief in herself that we see in her and every student.
Mia excellently demonstrated the behavioral indicator of growth that we look for in 10.5: Confidence. We were overjoyed to witness this transformational moment, and Mia’s dedicated teachers, who had seen glimmers of that confidence in her before, were so proud to see it again.
“Competency-based education is not a rejection of the American education system. It is a desperately needed support to a system that is under constant pressure to reform and innovate with rising needs and shrinking budgets,” said Justin Smith, Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City’s 3DE School Director. “When students can do hard things because they have the skills to do hard things, they start to believe that their success is not based on the things they have (or haven’t) learned. Rather, their success is based on bringing the best version of themselves to every challenge they face.”
One of the judges in attendance who is responsible for branch hiring at Wells Fargo took notice of Mia’s problem-solving process. At the end of the presentation, the judge approached Mia and commended her decisive, confident action—a quality she said she looks for in her frontline employees. She offered Mia an interview for a job at Wells Fargo in Shawnee if she’d ever like one.
Mia is also on track to pass and earn her credit in the social studies class this year.
“Mia is one of more than 1,000 students in Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools that 3DE is currently serving, and that number will double in the next two years,” Smith said. “Every one of those students has their own story to discover, write, and tell. The 3DE team comes to work every day with the goal of empowering students to do exactly that.”
To learn more about 3DE by Junior Achievement and the impact the model is making across Kansas City-area high schools, connect with our team to get involved.