Clintford Cadio & Howard Zhenn Leong

Gather—JA's online alumni community—not only offers entrepreneurial opportunities and builds professional networks but also develops friendships across borders.

JA Malaysia alumnus Howard Zhenn Leong and JA Canada alumnus Clint Cadio participated in JA programs in different regions, but they became friends thanks to the JA alumni network. Clint reached out to Howard in summer 2022 when Clint joined the third cohort of Gather Reporters. Clint wanted to connect with a fellow JA alum in his area, and he also wanted to hear about Howard’s experience as a Gather Reporter (Howard joined the first cohort in 2020). They met up at the JA Southern Alberta office in Calgary and became fast friends.

Because Gather Reporters work as international storytellers, interviewing inspiring individuals and producing content for JA Worldwide, we thought we’d turn the tables and ask Clint and Howard a few questions for a change.

JA Worldwide: Let’s start with the basics. Where did you grow up and what alumni networks are you a part of?

Clint Cadio: I was born in the Philippines and moved to Alberta, Canada, when I was 12. I’m an alumnus of JA Canada and JA Americas.

Howard Zhenn Leong: I grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and I came to Canada to attend university. I’m an alumnus of JA Malaysia and JA Asia Pacific.

JA Worldwide: What JA programs did you participate in, and how are you involved in JA today as an alumnus?

Howard: I participated in the FedEx/JA Asia Pacific International Trade Challenge in 2018. Today, I’m a Global Alumni Ambassador, building new JA alumni chapters around the world and strengthening the network.

Clint: I participated in the JA Company Program in the 2021–2022 school year. I’m currently a Gather Reporter in the 2022–2023 cohort.

JA Worldwide: When you were a child, what job did you imagine yourself having as an adult? Has it changed now that you’re older?

Clint: As a kid, I wanted to be a race car driver because I had a passion for sports and high-performance driving. I also really enjoyed studying mathematics and science, but I recently discovered I have a passion for philosophy and the humanities.

Howard: I wanted to be a neurosurgeon, because of a TV series about doctors. It looked cool and it’s a respectable job. In school, I really enjoyed physics. I was mesmerized by the equations that represent how the physical world works.

Clint: My ambitions changed as I grew up, and now I want to pursue a career in tech and be an entrepreneur. I hope to find a job in Web 3.0, specifically in blockchain tech and artificial intelligence (AI).

Howard: My career dream has certainly changed! Currently, I’m interested in econometrics, a quantitative and statistical subfield of economics. I’m interested in this field because it uses data to make sense of complex human behaviors.

JA Worldwide: How has JA impacted your life?

Clint: JA has been a very fun ride for me. I participated in the JA Company Program through my school. I was able to learn new things and gain so much wisdom from my peers, and that empowered me to do greater things. I was developed a passion for tech that has enabled me to develop different projects that align with my desire to make an impact on the world.

Howard: I dreamed of working in a global technology and advertising agency. I dreamed of studying at a top institution. I dreamed of how I can best contribute to the nonprofit world. And JA has helped me realize these dreams.

JA Worldwide: Why do you think you became friends? And what do you find yourselves talking about when you hang out?

Clint: We have similar interests that I think make us compatible as friends and collaborate on a sophisticated level.

Howard: We have a lot of common interests, starting with JA. A lot of our conversations involve technology, venture capital, and start-ups.

Clint: Yes, we talk a lot about entrepreneurship and start-ups, as well as casual topics about life.

JA Worldwide: What do you admire most about your friend?

Howard: Clint is really good at networking and connecting with people. He relentlessly seeks out the best advice and learns from people quickly. I would also say he’s good at making his environment work for him.

Clint: I admire Howard’s ambitions and work ethic. He’s a very hard-working person, and he’s able to shoot for the moon and make an impact on people’s lives.

JA Worldwide: Where do you think you would be without JA?

Clint: I would still be a normal teenager, but my time in JA accelerated my growth as a person. It helped me identify my passions and personal values. Without JA, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today.

Howard: I was at an important juncture in my life when I encountered JA—it was during my last year in high school. I was about to start a new chapter in my life, and I had no concrete plans. I jumped at the opportunity to intern at JA Malaysia, which led to my positions with JA Asia Pacific and now JA Worldwide. I dare to say that, without JA, it’s highly unlikely that I would have achieved the goals I have set for myself. So, I wouldn’t trade my JA experience for anything.

JA Worldwide: What’s next for you two?

Clint: I’m graduating high school in the spring.

Howard: This summer, I’m going to study AI and machine learning at Oxford.

We’re excited to see what these two incredible alums do in the future! Keep up with Howard and Clint on Gather.

Marcella Bertoluci

November 24, 2022

Meet Marcella Bertoluci, JA Brazil alumna and winner of the “I am JA” Video Contest in 2019 at the JA Global Alumni Conference. We connected back with her to see how her project is coming along.

JA Worldwide: Hi Marcella, tell us a bit more about yourself and your JA alumni journey.

Marcella Bertoluci: My name is Marcella, I am 22 years old and I live in the south of Brazil. I finished my studies in Business Administration this year and I have always loved the idea of understanding the business world and the universe of entrepreneurship. That’s actually why I ended up in contact with Junior Achievement. My school offered the opportunity to participate in one of the JA’s programs back in 2016, and for 15 weeks I lived the closest experience possible to what was being an entrepreneur. After that, I kept being active in the alumni group and due to that, I had multiple opportunities that gave me another perspective on my future. As a consequence, I was sure I would follow this entrepreneurial path for my career.

JA Worldwide: In 2019 you won the “I am JA video contest” at the first-ever JA Global Alumni Conference. What was your project back then?

Marcella: At the same year I participated in JA’s program, I had another amazing opportunity from my school. It was an event for the students of social project creation and I made my own. I was indeed inspired by JA to be the protagonist of my own story and as a consequence, I embraced the opportunity. My project was an initiative to help the adoption process of children and teenagers that had little expectations of having a new family. I gathered adults in the line to adopt these sheltered children in my old school with the support and partnership of the government. After 5 editions of the events since 2017, 7 kids got adopted due to this initiative. As a consequence, the government integrated the project into its official agenda.

JA Worldwide: How did your project change who you are, what’s new?

Marcella: I definitely became more proactive, responsible, empathetic, and resilient after this whole process. Unfortunately, I can no longer execute it as it was before in my city due to political and social concerns. However, I can still impact people in different manners, that’s definitely something that I have learned from all of this experience. No matter the circumstances we can always find ways to fulfill our beliefs. And of course, this project will be forever my baby and one of my greatest achievements.

JA Worldwide: What are your big dreams for the future?

Marcella:  Currently I am trying to balance my work and a new project. During this whole journey, I have cross passed a lot of challenges concerning the adoption scenario and the financial sustainability of my previous initiative. Basically, a lot of families that were formed during these years didn’t adapt, therefore the families returned the children and teenagers to the shelters. I dedicated my completion of coursework to understanding what causes an impact in this family’s lives to avoid breaking them apart. With the knowledge, I gathered from interviews I have created a phygital game for foster families that builds stronger relationship in order to avoid the adoption devolution. With all that said, I aim to open a company with this initiative in the future and actually generating positive impact in these peoples lives.

Connect with Marcella and thousands of JA alumni on Gather, the JA alumni community.

Nadia Ladak

November 22, 2022

Earlier this month, David Meltzer’s 2 Minute Drill aired an episode exclusively featuring JA alumni contestants from six JA locations:

• JA Austria alumnus Amin Faziani, founder of Preswipe

• JA Uruguay alumna Andrea Herrera, CEO of Quiral

• Junior Achievement of Northcentral Ohio alumnus, Gavin Williams, CEO of FinLit

• JA Canada alumna, Nadia Ladak, co-founder and CEO of Marlow

• UF Sverige (JA Sweden) alumna Sara Tengvall, founder and CEO of Belreis

 The six contestants each had two minutes to pitch their businesses to David and a panel of judges: Jayson Waller, entrepreneur, investor, business growth consultant, author, and host of podcast "True Underdog"; Rory Cutaia, founder and CEO of Verb Technology Co.; and Rob Gill, founder and Director of EPIC Financial Strategies. In the end, Nadia Ladak won over the judges with her pitch for Marlow, a tampon company that’s revolutionizing menstruation products. We sat down with her to learn more about Marlow and her experience with JA.

JA Worldwide: Hi Nadia, congratulations on winning US$50,000 on the special alumni episode of 2 Minute Drill! Tell us a bit more about who you are and what Marlow does.

Nadia Ladak: Hi! I am the co-founder and CEO of Marlow, a menstrual-wellness brand that launched the first-ever lubricated tampon experience. We want to empower menstruators to take charge of their menstrual health with comfortable products and reliable education. Inserting tampons is not always the most comfortable process, especially on the first and last day of a period when the flow is lighter. For some, this process is even more uncomfortable including first-time menstruators, individuals with medical conditions such as vaginismus, and those with higher levels of vaginal dryness. We combine 100 percent organic cotton tampons with a water-based lubricant to create a smoother, more comfortable insertion process. The products can be purchased on our website and are also delivered on a subscription model so that you never run out of products. Beyond our innovative product, our mission is to reduce the stigma around menstrual and sexual health. We’ve built a community of over 50,000 menstruators through easily digestible education and online conversation. With this, it is our goal to begin to normalize menstrual and sexual health as key aspects of overall wellness.

JA Worldwide: How did you come up with your business idea?

Nadia: Marlow started in our fourth year of university as part of an entrepreneurship capstone project. Our professors asked us to identify a problem that we were passionate about solving and, after reading an article about how the modern tampon hadn’t changed significantly in the last 90 years, my friends and I (who are now my co-founders) were immediately drawn to the menstrual health space. We started to dive in and realized that there were several problems to solve, including the limited product innovation, overly feminine and outdated marketing, and lack of community, conversation, and education. The primary issue we decided to tackle was the painful insertion of tampons. My co-founder shared that she had a lot of pain when inserting tampons. She’s an active individual and a swimmer and felt that pads, her only alternative, limited her in her daily active lifestyle while on her period. She went to the gynecologist to try to find a solution, only to be told to “spit” on her tampon. We were shocked and knew there must be a better way to solve this problem, which led us to creating the first-ever lubricated tampon.

JA Worldwide: How did the JA program in Canada influence your entrepreneurial journey?

Nadia: JA gave me an early taste of what it was like to pursue entrepreneurship. I got to learn about all the aspects of starting a business in a low-risk environment, supported by mentors. Now, being a mentor myself, I’m so excited to give back and inspire other students to love entrepreneurship and solve problems that they’re passionate about.

JA Worldwide: What are your big dreams for the future?

Nadia: Our north star is to build the category-defining brand in menstrual care to ensure that no menstruator is held back because of their period. We want to empower menstruators to live life on their own terms and to have access to reliable education and the knowledge to take charge of their menstrual health. We want to continue to push the standards for products and create comfortable solutions. We believe lubricated tampons will become the “new normal”. Imagine if from the start, lubricated tampons were introduced to the market, it would be silly to use a dry tampon when smoother and more comfortable options existed. So, similar to how Kleenex became synonymous with tissues, we want Marlow to be synonymous with the new normal of lubricated tampons, allowing individuals to actively participate in their lives, regardless of the time of the month.

Watch the JA Alumni episode of 2 Minute Drill—and all the other episodes, too—for free on davidmeltzer.tv.

Team Nina: Safe Drinking Water for Peru

JA Americas | JA Peru

Ariana Bettocchi, Fiamma Bahamonde, Isabella Romero, Daniela Escribens, Michelle Leigh, Emma Cilloniz, Daniella Becerra, Camille Rouillon, Luciana Córdova, Camila Salmón

Tamara, who lives with in western Peru with her family, wanted help: Her little brother had developed typhoid fever from drinking polluted water from the Rímac River, the only source of water available to their family. His life was at risk.

Ten Peruvian teenage girls stepped in. Research showed that two billion people around the world lack safe drinking water, resulting in nearly 100 deaths every hour, so they focused their JA Peru company—named Nina—on developing an inexpensive water-filtration system. Designed and 3D printed by the team, the result is Yaku, a portable, sealed, stainless steel one-liter bottle that filters 99.99% of water’s impurities and is priced 40% lower than its competition. Each bottle also features a Peruvian-themed graphic design.

Recognizing that a one-liter personal water bottle won’t make enough of a difference for most households, Team Nina sought out paid investors to help expand into a larger product, called the Mayu. This backpack version enables filtration and purification of enough water for a family of four and can be worn to and from rivers and other water sources. Rather than sell the Mayu, Team Nina donates one for every ten Yakus sold, and is looking to expand beyond Peru, once needs there are met.

The goal: To save lives, including that of Tamara’s brother.

Tonatiuh Gomez

Back in high school, Tona Gomez attended the JA Mexico FIE Entrepreneurship Camp, never believing it would change the course of his life. But while he was there, surrounded by other students who had passion and vision, he decided he would do whatever it took to accomplish something big with his life. He didn’t know exactly what, but his participation in the FIE Talent Show and his journey in dance would set the stage for the inspiring career that would follow.

Today, as a principal dancer with the San Diego Ballet Company who trains an average of seven hours per day, Tona credits JA with developing the work ethic, emotional maturity, leadership, and humility required to pursue an emotionally and physically demanding career in the ballet. 

““I fell in love with ballet because it wasn’t easy. The challenge is to bring your best performance wherever you are.””

— Tonatiuh Gomez

He also learned resilience through JA, a trait that allowed him to not lose hope after being rejected twice by the National Center for the Arts in Mexico City (one of the most important schools in Mexico), after sustaining a serious injury that prevented him from any physical activity for over two years. Once Tona had fully healed, he had missed the age cutoff for any of Mexico’s national dance schools . . . that is, until the Superior School of Music and Dance in Monterrey extended its maximum age, and Tona came in just under the wire. He was accepted and trained extensively for one year, during which he would eat, breathe, and sleep ballet. From there, he was offered a scholarship to The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, which opened an even bigger world of opportunities, given its close proximity to New York City. Tona started traveling into the city regularly to watch ballets and go on auditions. 

Although ballet is Tona’s passion, his heart is that of an entrepreneur. Throughout Tona’s training and professional dance career, he has been developing business ideas and projects with a social impact, specializing in the arts and creative industries. Prior to this, he already had one successful venture under his belt: While Tona was in college earning a B.S. in marketing, he co-created a fast-food operation that transformed a food cart (usually used to sell hot dogs or burritos) into a salad bar called Fresh & Green. When a friend wanted him to start a second location, Tona began franchising the operation, eventually creating more than 30 locations throughout Mexico. 

For now, though, Tona gives the ballet company and his nonprofit organization his full attention, especially since the pandemic has given him a chance to heal from herniated discs he suffered in a late 2019 performance of The Nutcracker. At the time, just before the pandemic, doctors weren’t even sure Tona would be able to dance again. But with performances cancelled for months on end, Tona took time to heal and was surprised to find that his strength, stamina, and flexibility fully returned for the 2020 Nutcracker.

What does the future hold for Tona? He intends to keep growing in ballet, extending his entrepreneurial projects, and, perhaps, even try his hand at other performing arts ventures, such as acting. But, thanks to JA, there’s one thing he’s sure of: There will be many more startup businesses in his future.

Justin Valdez, Gather Reporter for the Americas, contributed to this story.

Patricia Hernandez

Thanks to a unique JA Americas entrepreneurship program, Patricia Hernandez and her family have enough business income to see them through the global pandemic. But it took living through the most difficult year of her life—three years ago—to propel Patricia to start her successful family business.

In 2017, 30-year-old Patricia and her husband, Antonio, lost their son, Juan, to a congenital heart condition. He was only 19 months old. Awash in grief, an opportunity appeared: the JA Women for Development program, which trained women to develop entrepreneurial skills, start a business, and apply for microcredit. Although JA in every other region of the world offers programs only to young people ages 5 to 25, JA Americas recognized a need to address the lack of opportunities and subsequent poverty facing women in Central and South America. In 2010, JA Women for Development launched. This year, the program celebrates a decade of training women entrepreneurs, which has resulted in thousands of new women-owned businesses in the region.

““We were not alone. Together, we not only built our businesses, but also built a network of entrepreneurs. All women. All learning. All intent on being successful.””

— Patricia Hernandez

Armed with a degree in communications, but not a drop of entrepreneurial experience, Patricia signed up for JA Women for Development, welcoming the opportunity to focus on something outside of her own sadness, which she recognized was “beginning to sap my strength and inspiration.” Within six months, with the support of the program’s business mentor, she had mastered the fundamentals of a startup business.

Patricia then met with her parents, siblings, and in-laws and developed a business plan for a family venture called “In Guatemala,” which would feature products from local artisans. Her mentor, Laura, gave Patricia advice on how to gain the trust of Guatemalan artisans and, according to Patricia, “her advice and the endorsement of the program proved critical in negotiations.”

Patricia notes that the program didn’t only offer entrepreneurial support. “Emotional aspects were addressed, too,” she says. “It was exactly what I needed.”

Having now moved past the critical two-year anniversiary that often separates companies that will succeed from those that won’t, “In Guatemala” is spending the pandemic as an online shop (at in.gt) that, this year, ramped up its offerings to provide essential services. The site offers face masks, health-care items, food, apparel, gifts, books, furniture, and other household items as a lifeline during lockdowns and serves as a source of revenue to the artisans featured on the site.

As Patricia built her family business, she also expanded her family (see is second from the left, below). Sophie is two and a half, while Camilla recently celebrated her first birthday.