Meet alumna Sofia Sirianni, a Grade 12 student at South Kamloops Secondary School, owner and operator of Apiculture, and JABC Volunteer.

Sofia’s first introduction to JABC was at EFS@TRU (Economics for Success at Thompson Rivers University) as a Grade 10 student. The next year, she  participated in STEMinists, a STEM focused JA Company Program hosted in Kamloops. She was VP of Marketing for Apiculture, a student company that produced and sold locally sourced bee-themed wooden coasters. With a higher purpose to educate the community about the importance of bees in the environment, a percentage of the profits were donated to a BC gardening association. Sofia said, “I participated in the JA program as I have always been curious about what it takes to run a business. When I was younger, I used to design and fabricate various products and sell them at local craft fairs. I was always interested in entrepreneurship, even though I did not really know the word for it then!

Last year, Apiculture won the Celebrate Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by the BC Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology. Sofia also won a JA Youth Success Summit Award and spent a week of her summer in Calgary learning leadership skills alongside other students from across Canada and around the world.

Although she’s in school, Sofia is still in the coaster business. As the sole owner and operator of Apiculture now, she is planning to hire someone to help manufacture the products so local retail shops throughout Kamloops are stocked more quickly. She is also a volunteer for JABC, visiting classrooms and attending events, including EFS@TRU, where she speaks about her experiences as an entrepreneur.

What advice would she give youth?  “I really want to encourage anybody at any age to develop the ideas that inspire them. You never know what you are capable of unless you try it.”

Thank you Sofia for giving back to JA!

Find out how you can join Sofia and other alumni as a member of the JA Alumni Network. Learn more.

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