Torrey Pines, CCA student businesses win ‘Company of the Year’ in Junior Achievement contest

Savvy business students from Torrey Pines High School and Canyon Crest Academy came out on top at the Junior Achievement’s annual Student Company of the Year competition. Over 100 students pitched their businesses to a panel of judges composed of members of the San Diego business community.

The winning teams were Wearable Rays from Torrey Pines, which makes cute and stylish jewelry that double as a UV index indicator, and Growth in a Box, a creative way to boost mental health with mini create your-own flower pot kits. The top teams will be submitted for consideration for the national competition at the JA National Leadership Summit held in Washington DC.

Wearable Rays are “a reminder you can wear”, founded by students Giselle Souza, Mia Saldivar, and Kylee Bednarz and Tatum Bryant with the mission to spread awareness about the dangers of skin cancer. The company shared the scary statistics that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer by 70 and that having five or more sunburns doubles your risk for melanoma.

The gold plated bracelets come with color-changing UV beads—once alerted to UV rays, the wearer knows its time to slap on some sunscreen. Ten percent of the proceeds are donated to The Skin Cancer Foundation and Wearable Rays has donated bracelets to Comprehensive Dermatology in Encinitas. Visit wearable-rays.myshopify.com

Growth in a Box students Akshaya Koramulta, Frederick Lu, Noa Rozenberg and Eitan Hakak.

(Junior Achievement)

The other first place company Growth in A Box is comprised of CCA students Akshaya Koramulta, Eitan Hakak, Frederick Lu and Noa Rozenberg.

Their mission is to kick-start students’ mental health journey in a fun, convenient and affordable way. Each box comes complete with a little ceramic pot and a set of paints to take some time to paint your own planter. Each kit has a soil medallion for the user to add water to plant their flower seeds— cheerful and bright calendulas with time. The kit also includes a little notebook and mini pencil to chart the growth.

The students have sold their kits at school, online and at pop-ups at Del Mar Highlands Town Center. Growth in a Box also gives back, donating 10% of all proceeds from its product to Active Minds, a nonprofit organization promoting mental health. Visit growthbox.square.site

At the competition, Junior Achievement also honored two second place teams, Salvage Skate Accessories from Torrey Pines and Coco Loco from CCA.

With Salvage Skate, Torrey Pines students Amanda Garrett, Finn Hecko, Mia Carpenter and Noah Muck are repurposing skateboards into accessories like jewelry. Bits of wood from an old skateboard deck become unique rings and bracelets and a portion of the profits are donated to the National Forest Foundation. Visit salvageskateaccessoriess.myshopify.com

CCA students Daniella Addeo-Cortes, Noah Benhaim, Shaan Garg, and Ethan Phillips created CocoLoco, an eco-friendly business that sells succulents and candles in recycled coconut shells. A significant portion of their profits goes toward supporting Cancer for College, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships to cancer survivors, helping them afford college after facing overwhelming medical debt. To date, CocoLoco has already donated over $1,000.

In addition to their charitable efforts, the team earned recognition at the recent Junior Achievement competition for being the highest profiting company with over $5,000 and counting. Visit CocoLocoGifts.com