JA Alumni Spotlight - Mitch Kuy

Junior Achievement is thrilled to have the opportunity to interview Mitch Kuy, a JA alumnus who now lives in Dallas and works for Microsoft as an Azure Specialist.

When his class visited Biz Town, it was his first interaction with Junior Achievement. He was reintroduced to JA, thanks to a friend involved in JA Company Programs who enlisted Mitch to assist with the JA Trade Fair. After the Trade Fair, he said he was hooked and jumped at the opportunity to volunteer with JA. During this time, Mitch continued to be influenced by the numerous entrepreneurs who demonstrated how an idea and implementation could be life-changing. He said it had a life-changing effect on him.

Mitch maintains that his continued innovation in the software space is due to his JA volunteers. If given the opportunity to reconnect with his volunteers, he would say, "Thank you for believing in the youth and demonstrating that there is no secret to hard work. This program and the time you have invested into JA accelerated my career both personally and professionally, and without you or JA, I would not be where I am today".

Mitch explained that the JA pillars of Financial Literacy, Work Readiness, and Entrepreneurship have remained at the forefront of his mind. He has grown older and has evolved into financial freedom, job stability, and entrepreneurship. Even as a young adult, he believes he is more trained in these fields than his more experienced colleagues.

When asked if he had any motivational words for JA participants, Mitch replied, "I will tell them, "There are many ways to achieve success. Some will attend college, while others will attend a trade school or start their own business. However, the hard work and growth mentality are constants in both of these directions. You will be good in whatever you want if you can take an idea, implement it, and keep improving".

Finally, Mitch expressed gratitude to the volunteers and staff who help bring these activities together. These people are making a difference in young people's lives. He is grateful to give back to the organization that helped him.

Have you participated in JA Programs? If so, you're part of the JA Alumni community! Please sign up to join our JA Alumni network, JA Together. This makes it easy to find volunteer opportunities, donate to the mission, and connect with more JA Alumni as we help inspire young people together!