To Teach and to Serve: JA's high-achieving educators and volunteers.

• Author: Rhode, Scott

Each year, JA of Alaska recognizes an educator and a volunteer who have gone above and beyond to support the program and Alaska's students as they learn critical financial information and skills. According to JA of Alaska Executive Director Flora Teo, "Volunteers are the backbone of JA. We have a lot of talented, amazing leaders in our business community, and it is truly special when you see volunteers walk into a classroom and see the excitement on kids' faces."

While JA volunteers are critical for the program, it's educators who work every day to make sure Alaska's students are prepared for the future. "Alaska has amazing educators who rally for our students every day," Teo says.

Educator of the Year: Sean Schubert

Zombies infest Sean Schubert's classroom at King Tech High School in Anchorage. The decorations are for Halloween (at the time of this interview), but they could easily unlive there year-round. Parked in front of the school, Schubert's ride carries the license plate "INFCTN," referring to the title of his 2012 novel about an Alaskan Undead Apocalypse, as the five-part trilogy grew to become.

JA of Alaska's Educator of the Year is not trained as a teacher, but Schubert has taught himself to be a trainer. As the school's workforce development coordinator, Schubert interacts with every student at King Tech. "If they're looking for part-time work, I help them find that. If they're looking for full-time summer work, I help them find that," he says with the rapid-fire patter of a skilled wordsmith. He also counsels students on career steps after high school, helps them find scholarships, workshops their resumes, and instructs them in customer service, regardless of which trade they are studying.

Job placement is, in fact, Schubert's trade. "I have a degree in English, but I discovered that I like doing this. This is my passion," he says. After nearly twenty years working for the US Department of Labor's Alaska Job Corps Center, Schubert worked for the State of Alaska before joining the Anchorage School District. His career flowed naturally to involvement with Junior Achievement.

One of the projects he's most proud of is a virtual job fair while schools were closed for COVID-19, calling in contacts he's made in the staffing world to help organize the statewide event for JA. "What I do is really the culmination of what a lot of people have done," Schubert says, "so in being awarded this, I accept the award for everybody else who's led...