Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week!

BTE Student Stories

Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week!

In 2025, Johnson & Johnson employee volunteers dedicated over 600 hours to supporting BTE students. Volunteers shared their career experiences, coached students through STEM activities, and served as mentors as students navigate their paths to postsecondary education and careers.

J&J volunteers shared that BTE is not only a worthwhile experience for students, but also for the volunteers themselves. While students gained greater awareness of their work and learning options after high school and how they can pursue those options, volunteers improved their project management skills, their ability to work with others, and their supervisory/coaching skills.

Volunteers also felt BTE improved their leadership skills and helped them gain a better understanding of young people in their community. One volunteer shared, “This program truly demonstrates our Credo in action. We select talent across sectors, so they know their work in meaningful, not just for business, but for society.”

Volunteers make a crucial difference for the young people in the BTE program. BTE students often note that they gain valuable insights from BTE that they don’t get in school, including meeting people from the career fields they’re learning about. The connection between what they learn and how they can use that information in real life feels much more tangible. The one-on-one and small group mentorship of BTE creates opportunities for students to feel comfortable and ask questions. As one student shared, “The mentors felt like family to everyone. They were always open… to support and help each other. Whenever I needed advice, I always got it from them.”

Thank you to all of our volunteers! Your dedication helps students build brighter futures!