JA Scholarship Recipient on Paying it Forward

Author: Jim McCaskill
Community Involvement
Published: Thursday, 25 Feb 2021

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“Junior Achievement gave me my first scholarship, and that really helped get me started. It was just $500, but it made me realize that scholarships were available. That’s one reason I decided to reach out relatively early in my career, and see if there was a way to help other students right now.” Hans Petersen, now a Tax Services Senior Consultant with Ernst & Young, began an internship with EY while working on his Master’s at Texas A&M over four years ago. While his family still lives in Spring, Hans has followed this career opportunity all the way to New York City. As always, it is a pleasure to hear from JA students as they progress into their careers.

“I had a variety of interactions with JA over the years. Volunteers came to my classroom in elementary school. In middle school we went to the JA facility for hands on, real world experiences with work and finances. My first volunteer experience came when I was still a student at Carl Wunsche High School, in Spring ISD. I had the opportunity to return to middle school and teach younger students JA’s basic financial concepts. As a professional, I have continued to volunteer for Junior Achievement. It is a great way to give back.”

“It’s certainly a program that influenced my life. I would encourage everyone who has been positively impacted by JA to check out JA Together, and do what you can to stay involved.”