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Ross Students Teach Business Skills to Area Youth

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Written by Monroe Street Journal Reporter Maureen Shay

In the midst of this frantic time that we at Ross call recruiting, forty of our fellow classmates took time out of their busy schedules to give back to the local community. On Friday, January 19th, the Black Business Students Association (BBSA), in partnership with Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan and Target Corporation, held the second annual BBSA Junior Achievement Teaching Blitz at Scarlett Middle School in Ann Arbor. Junior Achievement is a non-profit organization that strives to teach students in grades K-12 to value free enterprise, business, and economics in order to improve the quality of their lives. The event was organized by first year MBA student Kevin Hamilton and three second year MBA students Jiboye Adeoye, Erica Butler, and Omurhu Onokpise. Target Corporation’s monetary donation to Junior Achievement covered the cost of all of the educational materials used throughout the day.

A team of forty Ross volunteers, including members of the BBSA, HLBSA and Consortium gathered to teach over five hundred 6th – 8th graders. One to two volunteers were assigned to classrooms of approximately twenty students. The volunteers presented six individual lessons which were designed to teach the students about self-awareness, the link between education and income, and basic economic and financial concepts. While Ross students are adept at answering tough interview questions, several volunteers were surprised at the inquisitiveness of these youngsters. How much money did you make at your last job, do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, and can you get Flava-Flav’s autograph are typically not covered in the OCD recruiting guide, but certainly added some excitement to the day! Not to be outdone by his MBA volunteer, one enthusiastic 6th grader confidently defined opportunity cost correctly, prior to the concept being taught. A gunner in the making perhaps?

At the end of the day students were treated to “Target dogs,” Frisbees, and certificates of completion as a reward for their hard work. Ross volunteers attended a post-Blitz happy hour, where they were able to unwind, share their stories of the day, and pontificate about a career change to education. The Principal and teachers at Scarlett Middle School were appreciative and impressed by the Ross students and the volunteers left with a feeling of satisfaction, knowing that they had truly led ‘in thought and action’.

You can learn more about Junior Achievement at www.ja.org. More details about the Black Business Students Association can be found at www.rossbbsa.com.

Pictures from the 2nd Annual Coretta Scott King Jazz / Poetry Night

The 2nd Annual Coretta Scott King Jazz / Poetry Night was a huge success! With a turnout of over 70 people, we are happy to have had the opportunity to host this event and look forward to making it even bigger and better next year!

Check out some of these photos from the event.