KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jadah Moses, a ninth grade student at Northeast High School, has bring dreams.
“I actually, by 30, want to move to Paris," Moses said. "I don’t know if that’s unrealistic or not, but that’s where I want to end up.”
Moses hopes to get there with help from 3DE — a new model from Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City that helps connect what kids learn in the classroom, to things they will do once they graduate.
“It’s real world experience right here in our classrooms,” said Waymon Ervin, the principal at Northeast High School.
He explained THAT 3DE pairs students with businesses. Those businesses then give students a problem to solve, using what they’re being taught in school.
“Having these different companies come in with different case studies brings value to what they’re learning, and also brings more value once they become graduates,” Ervin said.
Northeast High School and Olathe East High School are the two Kansas City area schools launching the program.
This new education model is the first of its kind in Missouri and Kansas respectively.
Megan Sturges Stanfield, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City, hopes this public/private venture helps students understand how subjects like math, science and English will help them in the future.
“By the end of this school year, I hope that 3DE and Junior Achievement have helped these students kind of fall in love with learning again,” Stanfield said. “What are the opportunities for them beyond high school to really live the life that they so choose?”
For Moses, the life she so chooses includes studying French culture, learning the French language, and living out the rest of her days in Paris.
With the experience she gains through 3DE — fingers crossed — she’ll make it happen.
“It’s very scary for me and a lot of other things, getting out there on your own two feet,” Moses said. “I honestly feel that 3DE will help with that, ease that, because real world problems out there, we’re giving that to you, we’re training you. It would be very helpful to a lot of kids to ease their mind.”
3DE is partially funded through a recent $1,000,00 donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. That’s part of a large $38,800,000 investment to Junior Achievement USA.
The 3DE model begins in ninth grade and expands through 12th grade. In May 2026, 3DE will graduate the first 3DE class, and have at least 1,000 students enrolled across Kansas City.
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