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When Sarah Caldwell first connected with Junior Achievement, it was not just a volunteer opportunity — it was personal. As a former director of development for the organization, Sarah built a deep connection to its mission long before she joined the C3 team.
So, when the chance came to bring that work full circle, she did not hesitate. This past spring, Sarah helped plan and execute a Junior Achievement event that brought together young women from across the region for a day full of career exploration, real conversations, and honest inspiration. One of the highlights? A session led by Taylor Rose, C3's VP of Operations, a leader whose career journey turned out to be exactly the kind of story these students needed to hear.
We sat down with Sarah to talk about the event, what made it meaningful, and why moments like this matter more than people might realize.
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ON JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT
What inspired you to get involved with Junior Achievement in the first place?
For me, it goes back to the mission. Junior Achievement is all about helping young people own their own success, and I mean that literally. They send volunteers into classrooms to teach the things we all wish we had learned in school. We are talking about financial literacy, entrepreneurial thinking, career exploration, soft skills, and innovation. The stuff that actually prepares you for life.
I used to be the director of development for the Michigan Great Lakes chapter, so this organization has been a big part of my story for a long time. Coming back to support it from a different angle, now as part of the C3 team, felt like a natural fit.
"They teach the things we all wish we had learned in school -- the stuff that actually prepares you for life."
ON PLANNING THE EVENT
How did this particular event come together?
I am part of the Junior Achievement planning committee, so I am actively involved in organizing events like this. It was a full day -- and I mean a really full day. We kicked things off with keynote speakers, then moved into breakout sessions where students started digging into career clusters, transferable skills, and curriculum designed specifically for them. After that, they had lunch and time to walk through a career fair and talk directly with local businesses about the opportunities available. We finished the afternoon with a STEM activity led by Grand Valley State University. It was a lot to coordinate, but seeing it all come together was worth every logistical headache.
Junior Achievement is a global organization, and ours is the Michigan Chapter of the Great Lakes, serving 52 counties. There is a lot of infrastructure and support behind these events, which makes it possible to put something together that actually feels impactful rather than just checking a box.
ON TAYLOR ROSE
What made Taylor the right person to speak at this event?-1.png?width=337&height=228&name=Empowering%20the%20Next%20Generation%20(1)-1.png)
The theme of the day was women in leadership, and we wanted speakers who could hold their own in that conversation, people with real credibility and a story worth telling. Taylor checked every box.
She is a young woman in a C-suite role. That alone speaks volumes to a room full of teenage girls who are trying to figure out what is even possible for them. But what made Taylor especially compelling is that her career path was not a straight line. She went to school for something else, transitioned into marketing, worked at a few companies, and then found her way into STEM. The way she talks about it, STEM found her -- and it opened a world of opportunities she had not even been looking for. That kind of story is so much more relatable than someone who had it all mapped out from day one.
"STEM found her -- and it gave her so many opportunities she had not even been looking for."
ON WHAT THE STUDENTS TOOK AWAY
What were you hoping the girls would take away from Taylor's session specifically?
The goal was never just inspiration for the sake of inspiration. These events are about helping young women envision themselves in roles they might otherwise write off. And that happens more than people realize -- a girl looks at a job title or a company and thinks, that is not for someone like me. Maybe she does not see anyone who looks like her in that space. Maybe she just does not have a frame of reference for it.
Taylor's session was about giving them that frame of reference. If they can find themselves in Taylor -- in her uncertainty, in her path, in where she ended up -- then that barrier starts to come down. That is what we were going for.
ON THE BIGGER PICTURE
How do events like this shape the confidence and direction of young women exploring their future careers?
There is a practical side to it that I think gets overlooked. We are not just saying you can do anything, go for it. We are helping these young women actually evaluate what kind of life they want and then work backward from there. What does that lifestyle require? What career paths can get you there? What skills do you need to build?
Women can do exactly what men can do; that is the foundation. But the conversation we are trying to have goes deeper than that. It is about helping them think like strategists about their own futures.
“We are helping these young women evaluate what kind of life they want – and then work backward from there.”
ON GETTING INVOLVED
How can more professionals get involved or support initiatives like Junior Achievement?
The easiest place to start is the Junior Achievement website. There are volunteer opportunities listed there, and it is a great way to understand what they actually need. If you want a more personal connection to what is coming up or how you can plug in, you are also welcome to reach out to me directly. I am happy to answer questions and help people find the right fit.
What I would say to anyone on the fence is this: you do not have to have it all figured out to show up for a young person who is still figuring things out. That is kind of the whole point.
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement is one of the largest youth-serving nonprofit organizations in the world, dedicated to preparing young people for the workforce through hands-on learning in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and career readiness. Sarah Caldwell volunteers with the Michigan Great Lakes Chapter.
