The Journey

During Jezuba's GenZ Career Series webinar, as we were discussing the difference between soft and hard skills, Rebecca, co-founder and director of Jezuba, brought up that I have developed  an exemplary set of soft skills through my time at Jezuba. Though slightly embarrassed by being thrown into the spotlight, I was taken aback by her honesty. Had it not been for Rebecca’s comment, I would have never noticed this growth. Her words stuck with me as I reflected on my journey.
 
I started working for Jezuba during my sophomore year of college. At that time, I was clueless as to what I wanted to do career wise. Eager to learn but with nowhere to start, Van, my leadership coach from Braven, introduced me to Rebecca. From there, I joined Jezuba as the very first intern. Starting as a content strategist, to becoming the co-chief of staff and now the operations manager, I was able to experience all the ups and downs of a newly launched business and nonprofit organization. I have been so proud to see Jezuba's growth as we added more interns, took on new projects, and engaged in a large audience but I never realized that with Jezuba's growth, came my own. 
 
My reliability has always served as a foundation for me, but I now know that I am also capable of taking on new challenges and learning new things. Engaging with passionate professionals, expressing my thoughts to a larger audience, organizing meaningful events, and connecting people around the world to make our team- all of these opportunities were only possible because Jezuba encouraged me to challenge myself.
 
Jezuba's goal will always be to empower youths to make an impact. Now, as a recent graduate and official staff member of Jezuba, I truly understand this simple but powerful mission statement. I’ll forever be thankful to have received this chance to get started on my journey and will work to pay it forward. 
 
I hope this also serves as a gentle reminder to everyone getting started on their journey that hard work will never go unnoticed. Be kind, be forgiving, but most importantly believe in yourself. 
 
 
Lauren Young
Operations Manager

Credit Lauren Young - Jeju Island, South Korea.