Whether she’s letting the Region know that all-inclusive, 24/7 healthcare is just a quick drive away or helping children in the cities around her reach their full potential, NW Indiana ER & Hospital’s Jessica Hubbard is all about building a strong sense of community wherever she goes. In addition to her work as the hospital’s director of business development, Hubbard is also a board member for Junior Achievement (JA) of Chicago, a program designed to lend a hand to the younger school-aged generation.
JA provides tools for students in grades kindergarten through 12 to set them up for success both now and as they venture out in their academic and professional careers. There are a couple branches of JA, and Hubbard works with the Northern Indiana section under JA Chicago. The opportunity to be involved came to her by chance a few years ago, and ever since, she’s enjoyed doing her part to be a helpful mentor to kids during their school years.
“I got involved a few years ago at a previous job where we hosted an event with JA with the Crossroads Chamber called JA Chambertown,” Hubbard said. “They provide education tools to students at different education levels. They help them learn about financial literacy and how to plan for their future through more than just money – like how to be an entrepreneur as well as how to navigate a career path and different adventures that come with life.”
JA has allowed Hubbard to work with the students in some pretty fun and engaging ways, such as jumping into the shoes of a teacher herself during its JA in a Day program. Here, JA members go in for half a day and teach a whole curriculum based on the grade level. The most exciting part to Hubbard is that it’s never the same each time – everyone involved will have a different grade level of students whom they work with at each JA in a Day event.
JA recently hosted this program with the Lake Central School Corporation, making it the first district-wide version of the program, and it turned out to be a major hit with everyone involved. The program went so well that the JA team is already starting to plan more JA in a Day events in the same fashion and hopes to have dates announced for those soon.
“I was at one of the schools, and the principal said the feedback was incredible,” Hubbard said. “Teachers really enjoyed it. They talked to the parents and said that everything went great and they want to continue doing this.”
Being a part of a program that makes such a positive impact in the kids’ lives means the world to Hubbard, and she loves that she is able to help foster such a positive change through JA. Not every student has access to the tools they need to get ahead in life, so knowing that she and the organization can step in for an extra support boost leaves her smiling from ear-to-ear.
“Obviously, we're not there 24/7 with them like the teachers are, but we want to help the kids get a better understanding of their financial life, make them work-ready, give them entrepreneurship skills, and help them navigate that path,” Hubbard said. “We want to be that liaison because they might not want to talk to a teacher or the student counselor – that can be scary. We want to find ways to mentor them so they feel comfortable enough to talk to us about things that they may not feel comfortable talking about.”
More information on the Junior Achievement Northern Indiana program can be found here. To see how NW Indiana ER & Hospital continues to help those in the Northwest Indiana community, visit its website at the link here.