Business students, alumni volunteer at city school

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Kayla Turnipseed ’12 (accounting), a former student at Kodak Park School No. 41 who has become a volunteer for the Saunders College event, is pursuing her accounting degree in RIT’s MBA program.

The E. Philip Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology, Junior Achievement of Rochester and the City School District are teaming up for the eighth straight year to educate school children about business, economics and free enterprise.

More than 50 volunteers, including RIT students and alumni along with other professionals from the business community, will lead Junior Achievement classes for hundreds of children in grades kindergarten through six at Kodak Park School No. 41 on Friday, March 22.

Each RIT alumnus and business professional will team up with a student from the Saunders College of Business who is majoring in a like field: accounting, finance, general management, management information systems or marketing.

“It’s never too early to start familiarizing young people with business concepts,” says Peter Rosenthal, associate director of student services in the Saunders College. “Our country’s free-market system depends on the contributions of, and decisions made by, citizens and workers. They make choices about their needs and wants based on quality, cost and time.

“This is the eighth year that we have matched a Saunders College of Business student with an RIT alumnus or other working professional for a day at School 41 to introduce these economic concepts through hands-on activities.” 


Brett Daly ’03 (marketing), ’05 (MBA) volunteered for the Junior Achievement program for six of the past seven years at School 41, saying he was rewarded with the opportunity to positively impact a child.

“Junior Achievement is an extraordinary program,” says Daly, marketing specialist at Ambrell-An Ameritherm Co. “It’s an invaluable opportunity for RIT students and alumni to not only teach and share their experiences, but also learn from the School 41 students. It’s a wonderful platform to encourage them to think about college and careers.

“I look forward to the program each year. As cliché as it sounds, I really believe RIT’s students and alumni take at least as much out of it; it’s a true win-win scenario.”

Twenty-six classes of students at School 41 will participate in the program. Volunteers will facilitate five hands-on lessons that vary by grade level—focusing on skills needed for specific jobs and how businesses use natural, human and capital resources from different regions, plus contrasting methods of production through role-play.

For more information, contact Peter Rosenthal at 585-475-7063 or prosenthal@saunders.rit.edu.