As part of a continuing national partnership between Microsoft YouthSpark and Junior Achievement USA, Junior Achievement of Eastern North Carolina recently received funding to implement 2 Job Shadow programs at the Microsoft Corporate offices in Durham. In two separate events, fifty students from the Wake Young Men’s and Women’s Leadership Academies and Millbrook High School Digital Media Academy had the opportunity to learn about Microsoft as a business, a culture and a career. The students met Microsoft employees and engaged in activities focused on learning about some of the various positions available at Microsoft.

“It was a wonderful day of learning and an opportunity to bridge business and education” said Diane Cadavid, Career Development Coordinator at Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy.

“We are excited to be a recipient of Microsoft’s generous contributions” said Bebee Bason Lee, President of Junior Achievement of Eastern North Carolina. “The decision by Microsoft to invest time, money and talent into further educating the next generation shows their commitment to helping people realize their full potential and to creating economic opportunity”.

About Junior Achievement

Junior Achievement is a nonprofit organization that uses hands-on experience to help young people understand the economics of life. In partnership with business and educators, Junior Achievement brings the real world to students, opening their minds to their potential. Junior Achievement programs deal with real issues like workforce readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship, to help young people recognize opportunities in life and take advantage of them. Junior Achievement of Eastern NC serves students in an 18 county area – Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland, Durham, Edgecombe, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Lenoir, Moore, Nash, Orange, Person, Pitt, Sampson, Wake, Wayne and Wilson counties.

About Microsoft YouthSpark Initiative

In 2012, Microsoft announced YouthSpark, a company-wide, global initiative of programs and partnerships with youth serving non-profits to create opportunities for 300 million youth in over 100 countries around the world by 2015.