Because of JA…

Throughout this week, we’ve celebrated entrepreneurs who found the courage to start, learned to solve problems, embraced innovation, and turned opportunities into impact.

But behind every business, every venture, and every entrepreneurial achievement lies something deeper.

A mindset. A belief. A moment when someone began to see themselves differently.

For many JA alumni, entrepreneurship is not the most important thing they gained from their experience. The most important thing is who they became because of it.

The confidence to speak up. The courage to take risks. The resilience to navigate uncertainty. The belief that their ideas matter and that they have the ability to create change.

As we conclude our MSME Day series, we’re highlighting four entrepreneurs from Serbia, Bulgaria, Mexico, and Lebanon whose stories remind us that the impact of entrepreneurship extends far beyond business success.

These are stories not only about ventures, but about transformation.

Stories that answer a simple but powerful question:

Because of JA… what changed?

Andjela Kanjo (Serbia) 🇷🇸

For Andjela, the answer is surprisingly simple.

“I found myself.”

While short, those three words capture a journey that has shaped every aspect of her life and career.

Today, Andjela is the Founder and CEO of multiple ventures, including prodigi.dev and MotoTrack, leading projects that combine technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Yet long before becoming a founder, she was a young person searching for direction, purpose, and confidence in her own abilities.

Through JA Serbia, Andjela discovered more than entrepreneurship. She discovered a community that challenged her to think bigger, take initiative, and step beyond her comfort zone.

The experience introduced her to leadership, problem-solving, teamwork, and the process of transforming ideas into reality. More importantly, it showed her that she was capable of far more than she had previously imagined.

As her entrepreneurial journey progressed, she began building ventures that reflected both her passions and her vision for the future. Along the way, she encountered many of the challenges founders face—uncertainty, difficult decisions, changing markets, and the pressure of turning ambitious ideas into sustainable businesses.

Yet each challenge reinforced something she had learned through JA: growth happens when we are willing to step into the unknown.

Today, Andjela’s work continues to create opportunities for others while pushing the boundaries of innovation and technology. But when she reflects on her journey, her greatest achievement isn’t simply the companies she has built.

It’s the person she became while building them. And sometimes, that is the most meaningful entrepreneurial journey of all.

Milena Terzieva (Bulgaria) 🇧🇬

For Milena, entrepreneurship and JA have been intertwined for nearly her entire professional life.

As the founder of SolarStickers and a co-founder of the JA Bulgaria Alumni Club, Milena has spent years creating opportunities not only for herself, but for countless young people following in her footsteps.

Looking back, she sees a direct connection between the experiences she gained through JA and the person she has become today.

“I am the person I am today because of the opportunities, experiences, and lessons JA gave me.”

For Milena, JA was more than a program. It was a foundation.

It provided opportunities to develop leadership skills, collaborate with ambitious peers, engage with mentors, and gain practical entrepreneurial experience long before entering the professional world.

Those experiences helped shape her understanding of business, innovation, and impact.

As an entrepreneur, Milena has consistently sought ways to combine creativity with sustainability. Through SolarStickers, she is exploring innovative solutions that align commercial success with environmental responsibility, demonstrating how entrepreneurship can contribute to a more sustainable future.

At the same time, she remains committed to supporting the broader JA community, helping ensure that future generations have access to the same opportunities that helped shape her own journey.

Her story is a reminder that the true impact of JA is often measured not in months or years, but across entire careers.

Cesar Torres Villegas (Mexico) 🇲🇽

For Cesar, entrepreneurship became a vehicle for personal transformation.

Before becoming a founder, leader, and advocate for entrepreneurship, Cesar had dreams and ambitions much like countless young people around the world. What he lacked was a pathway for turning those aspirations into reality.

JA helped provide that pathway.

Through entrepreneurial experiences, leadership opportunities, and exposure to a community of changemakers, Cesar began to see new possibilities for his future.

Over time, those possibilities became goals.

Those goals became action.

And that action became a career dedicated to entrepreneurship and impact.

“I became the person I always dreamed of being.”

Today, Cesar serves not only as the founder and general director of his venture, Plantea, but also as a leader within the JA network itself.

His dual role reflects a commitment to both entrepreneurship and service. While building his own ventures, he has remained deeply invested in creating opportunities for others to experience the same growth and transformation that shaped his own life.

His journey demonstrates that entrepreneurship is not solely about building businesses.

Sometimes, entrepreneurship is about building yourself.

Shella Douaihy (Lebanon) 🇱🇧

For Shella Douaihy, entrepreneurship has always been rooted in purpose.

As the co-founder of Leadership Central, she is passionate about helping individuals develop leadership skills, unlock their potential, and create meaningful impact within their communities.

Her work reflects a belief that leadership and entrepreneurship are deeply connected. Both require initiative, resilience, and a willingness to engage with challenges rather than avoid them.

That mindset was reinforced through her experiences with INJAZ Lebanon and the broader JA network.

Rather than teaching her to fear obstacles, those experiences taught her to view challenges differently.

“I do not fear problems in my society—I embrace and transform them.”

That perspective continues to guide her work today.

Whether supporting young leaders, developing new initiatives, or building solutions that address community needs, Shella approaches entrepreneurship as an opportunity to create positive change.

Her journey reflects a broader truth shared by many entrepreneurs: meaningful impact rarely comes from waiting for circumstances to improve. It comes from choosing to take action despite them.

Through Leadership Central and her continued commitment to youth development, Shella is helping others discover the same confidence and sense of purpose that shaped her own journey.

More Than Entrepreneurs

Over the past week, we’ve met entrepreneurs who launched businesses, built technologies, solved problems, and created opportunities.

Yet perhaps the most important lesson from their stories is that entrepreneurship is about far more than what we build.

It is about who we become.

For Andjela, it meant finding herself.

For Milena, it meant becoming the leader she is today.

For Cesar, it meant becoming the person he always dreamed of being.

For Shella, it meant learning to transform challenges into opportunities for change.

Their stories remind us that the impact of JA cannot always be measured in revenue, products, or business milestones.

Sometimes, its greatest impact is helping young people discover their potential and giving them the confidence to pursue it.

Because of JA, these entrepreneurs built businesses.

But perhaps more importantly, because of JA, they built themselves.

And that impact will continue to shape communities, industries, and future generations for years to come.