By: Alexis Sanchez, Kimberly Herrera, Carlos Ruvalcaba

With the end of the year just around the corner, many after school programs are coming to an end. For juniors, the Youth Business Alliance is one of them.. YBA is a program that helps students understanding the principles of the business world. The course is meant to be rigorous for students however, at the end of the completed course, students receive five credits. After spending hours on Monday’s afternoon, students have finally reached the end of the Youth Business Alliance.

Attending YBA after school is the same as taking another class. Students attended YBA every Monday from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM.

At the beginning of the class, students were given a small lessons by either Mr. Pickering or Ms. Jang. Then students are given a short 15 minute break after the lesson.  After the break, a speaker would come in to present on their own business and how they reached their position. When the speaker was done presenting, students had a Q&A session with the speaker or a one-on-one talk about certain internships. When the session  reached an end, students would take a picture with the speaker in order to commemorate their presentation.

Junior, Robert Jimenez said, “I liked that there were people who came to talk about what they did and their experiences. It was cool that they were trying to help us.”

However, not all the time would the program run smoothly. At times, the speaker would arrive late or just wouldn’t arrive at all. With students filled with assignments, homework, chores, and other extra curricular activities students would be upset that the speaker wouldn’t arrive. If the speaker didn’t arrive at 4:30, students had to wait until after 4:45 PM in order to be respectful to the speaker in case they did arrive late from hours long of driving or because they were stuck in traffic. During that waiting time, students would work on homework assignments in order to keep busy.

During the course of the program, students were placed in groups to participate in a nation wide Stock Market Game. The Stock Market Game gives students the experience to feel what it’s like to be a part of the business world. Students were given $100,000 and invested in stocks, bonds, or chose not to touch the money at all. When buying stocks, students risked losing money due to the constant shifting in the stock’s value. In the groups,  the students would decide as a whole to purchase a stock or a bond. Since the game was very intense, students would constantly check up on their progress.

Josh Lau the head of the Youth Business Alliance  rewarded YBA students with a field trip to the Junk Food Clothing.  At the Junk Food Clothing , students were able to get insights on an actual business because they were explained exactly what it takes to sell t-shirts. Many students were shocked on how much processing it takes for a t-shirt to be sold. Students believed that the t-shirt was just made and sold, however, the tags, the numeration, the fabric, the licensing for graphics, the measurements and more are needed to sell t-shirts. Many headquarters and factories overseas and in the U.S are needed, each with a different purpose. With the process explained, students were given free sweatshirts or sweatpants in addition with California Doughnuts and pizza.

“The field trip was my favorite part because we got to see how what we learned was applied in an actual environment,” said Priscilla Hernandez.

After completing the course, students recommend it to rising juniors in order to help them in the long run.

Daniela Ramos said, “I think it was even though it was after school, I liked it. I think rising juniors should take the course.”

Overall, students would not only learn the basics of business, but they would also learn valuable life lessons. Through long hours of YBA, students have learned to manage their time with other extra curriculars, homework, and chores. Many found YBA to be very time consuming, however, in the end, they end up with five credits and life-long advice to succeed.