Valparaiso University and Junior Achievement of Northwest Indiana (JA) hosted JA Town. On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, students from Hebron Middle School joined Valpo student volunteers at the Harre Union for an immersive financial literacy experience for local eighth grade students in an event designed to teach budgeting, financial literacy, and smart shopping decisions.
Hebron students were given virtual careers with set incomes and tasked with exploring nine different stations, each representing a different aspect of adult life. These stations included transportation, entertainment, and self-care, and each required the student to make a lifestyle choice that would fit their budget.
“They’re going to have different options of how to budget their month,” said Ben Crombie ’28, a marketing major, working at the transportation station. “If they have a new car compared to public transportation, that’s going to be budgeted a little bit differently. It’s really to get them to start thinking about decisions they’ll have to make later in life.”
At the end, participants went to a final station to discuss whether or not their choices were realistic for their given income and how they may have approached the topics differently. Whatever their choices, the goal is to encourage students to think about the decisions they’ll have to contend with later in life.
“My favorite part is seeing the students understand what it means to be an adult, and all the decisions their parents and caregivers have to make,” said Roz Malouhos, director of Junior Achievement’s Northwest Indiana division. “It gives them an awareness of the importance of career choices. If they can make those mistakes now, and don’t make them as an adult, then we’ve instilled some important concepts into them.”
With the Indiana Department of Education’s Graduation Pathways program, current high school students are able to individualize their graduation requirements to meet their postsecondary education goals. This means that today’s eighth grade students need to start thinking about their goals after graduating from the K-12 system, and what they need to do to achieve them.
“At this age, they’re planning their high school schedules and making decisions about their career paths,” said Kristy Stephens, an eighth grade English teacher at Hebron Middle School. “What is it that they want to pursue? They have to know where they’re headed going into high school.”
For many, part of that future will include seeking higher education, and part of the day’s program included discussions on the topic of college life. Prior to the budgeting activity, Valpo students held a panel discussion to share their experiences attending the University, giving the attending eighth graders a peek into what they can expect from their own academic future.
“Valparaiso University gives students a picture of what could be,” Shaun Sahlhoff, executive director of external relations, said. “What better place to picture themselves in what some of these careers and future education may look like than an institution of higher education?”
“It’s always a good experience to bring our kids to a college campus,” said Stephens. “A lot of kids haven’t really experienced it. Seeing and hearing different experiences from students pursuing something similar to their interests, or hearing about students who are commuting, is a great opportunity for them.”
Junior Achievement of Northwest Indiana is an organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their futures, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA’s programs in the core content areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy ignite the spark in young people to experience and realize the opportunities and realities of work and life in the 21st century. Learn more about the organization here.
Hosting the Junior Achievement event is just one of the ways that Valparaiso University gives students the opportunity to think about the future. The yearly Engineering Academy and various Beacon Academy programs give high school students of a variety of interests hands-on chances to explore the field. To learn more about these and other programs, visit valpo.edu.
