Every year, Junior Achievement Southern Alberta (JASA) runs a new iteration of the Company Program, an entrepreneurial initiative that provides high school students with the hands-on opportunity to start up, manage, and liquidate their own company. From encouraging students to embrace their leadership potential, make a tangible community impact, and network with like-minded peers and mentors, the Company Program plays a crucial role in empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs and change-makers.
In October 2021, the paths of 15 passionate high school students were irrevocably altered for the better. We were brought together through the Company Program to undertake a learning journey into business. After weeks of collaborative planning and creative ideation, we founded Attracted JASA.
Attracted is a magnetic bookmark company like no other. We sell appealing, easy-to-use magnetic bookmarks that act as a seamless transition from reading one day to the next. We harness the power of reading and promote literacy while donating 15% of our proceeds to charity. Overall, we aim to make a positive impact in our community and provide a perfect gift — one that holds its place in the lives and stories of readers everywhere.
Our Product
Attracted produces 2×10-cm bookmarks that utilize powerful magnetic technology to clamp across pages and ensure a secure hold. They are sleek and built to last a lifetime, avoiding bulkiness and page damage. Each bookmark features an original, student-made design printed on a waterproof vinyl sticker. Our designs are created on both a year-round and seasonal basis.
Photo by Taylor Chen, December 2021.
Attracted bookmarks serve to brighten each reader’s day with eye-catching art and encourage a love of reading and learning while also helping readers celebrate special occasions. They are sold at an accessible price point either individually ($4.00 CAD) or in mix-and-match bundles of 3 ($10.00 CAD), making them a beautiful keepsake for readers of all demographics.
To order our bookmarks, please visit https://attractedjasa.wixsite.com/website/shop.
A selection of our original January/February designs, created by Emma Cook.
Charitable Donations
15% of our profits will be donated to CanLearn society, a charity that supports mental health, literacy, and learning – values that resonate deeply with our company. CanLearn Society helps Calgarian children, youth, and adults learn while bringing hope and bolstering their quality of life. They believe that individuals with learning, literacy, and attention difficulties can achieve their full potential and become contributing members of society in a supportive and collaborative community. The CanLearn Society website can be viewed at: https://www.canlearnsociety.ca/.
Our Team
Each of our 15 team members specializes in a role that contributes to collective success:
From top to bottom, left to right: Jensina Tobins (Sales Analyst), Stephanie Huynh (President), Alana Dai (Mentor), Kiersten Watson (Mentor), Claire Bai (VP of Human Resources), Robe Nguyen (IT Support Engineer), Haseeb Tahir (VP of Production), Naman Miglani (VP of Finance), Taylor Chen (Financial Analyst), Emma Cook (Graphic Design Manager), Kamal Malik (Purchasing Manager), Giles Lo (VP of IT), Hadia Ahmed (VP of Health and Safety), Daniil Filipovich (VP of Sales and Marketing), Ahmed Tahir (Social Media Manager).
Not pictured: Kayan Akl (Sales Analyst), Mutasim Ahmed (IT Back-End Developer), John Nguyen (Mentor).
Takeaways from our Entrepreneurial Experience
Many of us joined the Company Program with only a vague idea of how businesses are run and how our future careers would pan out. Now, after four months as student entrepreneurs, the Company Program has offered us some key insight, as Hadia, our VP of Health and Safety, describes:
“I didn’t know anything about business before starting a JA company, however all of the mentors and previous JA members had welcomed all of us first-years with open arms. I learned all the ropes of how to grow a business as well as the hard parts of it! I loved it!”
– Hadia Ahmed
Upon joining the Company Program, we were faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, including running a business amidst pandemic uncertainty and facilitating Zoom meetings where each person is confined to a tiny box on a screen. However, through effective communication, unwavering resilience, and creativity, we have not only overcome our challenges but also formed close friendships and thoroughly embraced team unity. Emma Cook, our Graphic Design Manager, reflects on her Company Program experience:
“Participating in Junior Achievement gave me an opportunity to express my creativity and learn new graphic design skills. My team is incredibly supportive and contributed great ideas. I am glad to be a part of this group of students who are very bright and motivated to make our company successful.”
– Emma Cook
Emma draws inspiration from real life in creating her unique designs. Her cat, Sydney, was the muse for her cat bookmark design.
Through Company Program’s mentorship and hands-on opportunities for entrepreneurial development, the team members of Attracted have all discovered what really fuels us – collaboration, excellence, and innovation – and take our first steps towards sparking positive change in our community.
Our Socials
- Website: https://attractedjasa.wixsite.com/website
- Instagram: @attracted_jasa
- Facebook: @AttractedJASA
- Email: attractedjasa@gmail.com
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Josh Johal and Junior Achievement Southern Alberta for providing us with this life-changing entrepreneurial opportunity, and Palette Magazine for featuring our company. We are infinitely grateful to our mentors Kiersten Watson, John Nguyen, and Alana Dai, for the transformative lessons they have imparted to us.
