JA awards $10,000 scholarships to 10 area students

Recipients rewarded for academics, program participation 

SYLVANIA – About 80 percent of college students switch their majors at least once, according to national studies. That lack of direction is something Junior Achievement of Northwestern Ohio strives to prevent by helping students develop a clear vision for their future before graduating from high school.

Courtney Baker, 18, a 2025 graduate of Toledo School for the Arts, is an example of how JA can help young people reach their goals and get on track for college and career.

She spoke at an Aug. 6 JA scholarship luncheon at Lourdes University, where she and nine other students each received $10,000 college scholarships for their academic excellence, participation in JA programs, and written essays reflecting on their achievements and goals.

The scholarships are for $5,000 for each of the first two years of college.

“At the beginning of this 2024-25 school year, I knew one thing: I wanted to be a surgeon. But that path felt terrifying! It’s so big, so unapproachable. I was pretty ready to just take a year and figure it out later,” Baker said.

When she attended a JA assembly for high school seniors, “something just clicked.”

“Something was pulling me” to join the organization, she said, even though “I didn’t know what I would get out of it.”

Baker signed up for as many site visits as possible to Mercy Health facilities.

“That was the best decision I made. My first visit was mind-blowing. I got to stand in an actual surgery – which I brag about all the time. I loved every second of it. I loved the people, the hospital, the entire event. Yes, I loved wearing scrubs. I got to look at the surgical tools. I got to see how they set up the beds. All of that seemed so much fun. At that moment I knew that surgery was where I wanted to go.”

She has enrolled in Mercy College’s four-year program to earn a bachelor of science degree in biology. After that, Baker plans to continue her education for nine more years to become a surgeon. She also plans to continue her hobbies of theater and dance.

Also awarded $10,000 scholarships were:

• Ryan Arnold, Tiffin Columbian High School
• Agnishekhar Basu, Perrysburg High School
• Shambhavi Brahme, Perrysburg High School
• Paisley Dusseau, Perrysburg High School
• Robert LeBlanc, St. Francis de Sales High School 
• Luke Mohler, St. Francis de Sales High School
• Paisley Nolan, Junior Achievement’s 5^th Year Program
• Sawyer Scheff, Perrysburg High School  
• Jevaun Thomas, Perrysburg High School

JA’s new 5^th Year Program is the only one of its kind nationwide, with high school graduates living on the Lourdes University campus for a year while they “are deliberately discovering what they want to do next,” explained Jim Pollack, president of JA of Northwestern Ohio.

Students in the 5^th Year Program spend a year participating in site visits, workplace experiences, and professional skill workshops with the goal of helping them refine their educational and career choices.

Ashley Edmond, a 2024 graduate of Tiffin Columbian High School, said at the awards ceremony that she participated in JA’s online stock market competition during her senior year and came in second in regional competition.

“At the end of the school year we thought we were done with it, but then we realized there was no Ohio team for the national competition,” she said.

Edmond’s team, which included new scholarship recipient Ryan Arnold, ended up winning the national competition. 

“The grand prize for winning that competition was to fly to Washington, D.C., and go to the student leadership summit that was held there by JA,” Edmond said. 

She said her experience going to seminars and participating in JA programs gave her the confidence she needed to pursue a career in business. She is now studying for an administration degree at Bowling Green State University.

Matthew Baker, a 2023 JA scholarship winner, is studying cyber security at Eastern Michigan University. He said when he was at Whitmer High School he had no plans to join JA, but his mother encouraged him to do so.

“I went to my first program, and I liked it,” he said. He participated in three internships and “now I’m doing cool computer things.”

Among his cyber security projects is devising ways to detect USB Rubber Duckies, which are hacking tools that “can really mess up your system.” 

Baker said one lesson he learned after joining JA really stands out: “Listen to your mother.”

To learn more about JA scholarship opportunities, visit janwo.org.