St. Croix resident Judi Fricks was recently appointed as Executive Director of Junior Achievement of the Virgin Islands (JAVI) by the national non-profit. She has been involved with JAVI since its inception in the territory in 2008, when she served as JA educator and vice chairperson of the Board.
Fricks was previously involved with the JA of Jacksonville, Fla., where she was the marketing manager, and after returning to St. Croix in 1999, she knew she wanted to start a JA chapter, but didn’t have the resources at the time. Then, in 2008 she was approached and was thrilled to be involved in the process.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic. I knew I had to do this, because it’s such a phenomenal program that allows business volunteers to get a peek into our schools, while at the same time promotes good corporation stewardship,” Fricks said.
Fricks previously served as the chairperson of Crime Stoppers USVI where she gained a broad understanding of how education is the key to reducing crime.
"We are all very happy and pleased that Judi has agreed to work with JAVI in the capacity of Executive Director. We expect that she will bring lots of energy and experience that helps us to reach out to our community, and to take JAVI to the next step of providing a higher level of entrepreneurial exposure and encouragement to the students of the Virgin Islands. I look forward to working with her as we move towards making positive changes that supplements our children’s educational growth," said Cheryl Francis, JAVI Board Chairperson.
Junior Achievement impacts 4 million U.S. students in more than 173,000 classrooms. With the help of 171,000 volunteers, JA students develop the skills they need to experience the realities and opportunities of work and entrepreneurship in the 21st-century global marketplace.
Locally, JAVI’s goal is to brings its programs to students in elementary, middle and high school this upcoming school year. Each course is for six weeks, once a week during the school day.
“My greatest hope is that we empower students so that they have a better grasp on the business world and they realize the potential in becoming entrepreneurs,” Fricks said.
If you want to become a JA volunteer or sponsor, email Fricks at javirginislands@gmail.com. For more information, visit the Junior Achievement website www.ja.org.
