08 May, 2026 – Like many high school students, Avani Karadkhedkar was still figuring out what her future might look like. While attending Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute in Kitchener, Ontario, she stepped into the JA Company Program with curiosity and an open mind, not yet realizing how much the experience would shape her path.
In the JA Company Program, students build and run their own businesses. For Avani, that experience quickly became something far more meaningful than she expected.
In her first year, her team sold customized T-shirts. In her second, they set out to do something entirely different, creating a city-wide talent show.
Bringing together performers from across schools, the team produced a full-scale, student-led event, from lighting and media to a lobby marketplace featuring other JA teams. With a teacher strike pausing extracurriculars at the time, Avani and her team saw an opportunity to create something meaningful, giving students a place to express themselves, connect, and stay involved.
“It ended up being a really special, one-of-a-kind production,” she shares.
One moment in particular made everything feel real.
“Up until then, so much of our work had been planning, auditions, and organizing behind the scenes,” she recalls. “But when we found the right theatre space and signed the agreement, it suddenly became tangible. I could picture the audience, the performances, the full show coming to life, and that was incredibly exciting.”
The experience wasn’t without its challenges. Because their business model was so different, roles weren’t always clearly defined at the start.
As president, Avani had to navigate that uncertainty, ensuring each team member found a meaningful role and felt ownership over the project.
Over time, the team found its rhythm. From ticket design and marketing to participant coordination and production, each person carved out their place, transforming the group into what she describes as a “well-oiled machine.”
The moment it all came together is one she’ll never forget.
“At the very end of the show, we stood together for the final thank-you speech and looked out at a packed, sold-out theatre,” she says. “It was such a wholesome and proud moment. We could see everything we had worked so hard on come to life.”
Through that experience, Avani didn’t just build a business. She built confidence, resilience, and a new way of thinking.
“One of the biggest things JA taught me was how to be a leader and think entrepreneurially,” she shares. “It showed me how to approach challenges with a solution-first mindset.”
That mindset stayed with her long after high school, shaping how she approaches opportunities and decisions. Rather than shying away from uncertainty, she learned to embrace it.
“JA taught me to see challenges as part of the journey and to approach new opportunities with excitement, without fear of what might come.”
Her journey with JA didn’t end there. Avani returned as an alum, volunteer, and staff member, supporting students through the very programs that once shaped her path.
“It felt incredibly full circle, wholesome, and deeply fulfilling,” she says. “I was growing alongside the students while also having the privilege of making an impact in their lives.”
Today, Avani carries that same entrepreneurial spirit into everything she does, running her boutique, Olive on 63rd, while also working in data engineering, blending creativity with analytical thinking.
“Whether I’m running my business or working in data engineering, I carry the same mindset JA helped build in me, to think creatively, take initiative, and solve problems,” she shares.
For Avani, JA was more than a program. It was a starting point, one that helped shape her leadership, her resilience, and her sense of purpose.
From producing a sold-out talent show as a student to mentoring the next generation, her journey reflects the lasting impact of hands-on learning and the power of turning an idea into something real.
—