On Tuesday, April 1, 2008, Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley and Monterey County inducted Dr. Aart de Geus, Chairman and CEO of Synopsys, Inc., into the 22nd Annual Business Hall of Fame as a 2007 Laureate. This is an honor reserved for those who demonstrate a lifetime of business success and a legacy of industry and community leadership.

Aart de Geus stands with student Laureate interviewer Arjun Ashokkumar at
the 2008 Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

Junior Achievement inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy. It is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating kindergarten through twelfth grade students about entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. The Silicon Valley Monterey chapter members and volunteers have invested in, involved and inspired high need students since 1953, reaching over 500,000 students this year.

Elaine Curran, president of Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley Monterey, explained the importance of the event: “The Business Hall of Fame provides a wonderful opportunity for Junior Achievement students to meet and learn from Silicon Valley’s most dynamic leaders. As we celebrate our distinguished laureates, students are inspired to dream of exciting opportunities they may never have thought possible. It was a memorable night for everyone.”

Part of the learning takes place in a Town Hall meeting held during the afternoon of the induction dinner. In this meeting students, board members and Laureates are grouped and given a Junior Achievement exercise to discuss. This year’s focus was on business ethics. This provides the students with a rich experience to learn and have their voice heard.

Aart de Geus joined the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame with four other laureates – Ned Barnholt of Agilent Technologies; Marilyn Pratt, a founding board member of the Tech Museum and other distinguished community organizations; John Thompson, CEO of Symantec; and Ken Wilcox, president and CEO of SVB Financial Group.

Upon receiving this award, Aart urged the students in the room – and, in fact, all of us—to apply passion to where we can have the greatest impact. “Think with your head, but act with your heart,” he encouraged.

For more information about Junior Achievement and how you can help our future workforce find their passion and build their dreams, visit: http://www.ja.org/.