Friday morning May 6th, the
Metropolitan Education Commission (MEC) Interim Executive Director Dr. Daisy Rodriguez Pitel met San Miguel High School (SMHS) Corporate Work Study Program VP Samantha Miller at the
Junior Achievement of Arizona (JA) offices to present the 2022 Outstanding Corporate Award.
SMHS nominated JA for their dedication to SMHS students by providing professional development, financial literacy, important critical thinking skills, and a career readiness class through work-ready simulations. Students interning at JA are also afforded opportunities to develop their public speaking by being able to participate in and speak at JA Day events.
All these opportunities align with SMHS’s mission and none of which would be possible without the excellent guidance of JA Development Officer Carolyn Gorst, a great supervisor who appreciates the CWSP model and is striving for her student interns to do their best. Carolyn challenges her student interns to get out of their comfort zone and try new things such as making phone calls or voicing their opinions.
The MEC selection committee chose JA out of all the nominations. Due to the pandemic, the Crystal Apple Awards luncheon where the awards are traditionally presented did not occur, and thus, representatives from MEC and SMHS descended on the JA offices to surprise Carolyn with the Outstanding Corporate award.
