Wave-Maker Spotlight: Jennifer Ojeh

Over the next few months, we will be posting profiles on the amazing alumni that have come out of the Making Waves College and Alumni Program. These profiles are meant to both highlight our inspiring alumni and support other young professionals in understanding their own career path. If you have questions for us or our alumni, please post them below.

Today, the spotlight is on a conversation that we had with Jennifer Ojeh - a 5th Waver, graduate of Stanford University, and employee of WePay.

Describe your career path. What experiences provided insight along the way? Was your career path straight and planned, did you stumble into it, or was it somewhere in between?

The very beginning of my career was an internship with Visa, Inc. the summer after my junior year. I excelled in the role and was invited to return after graduating college through the company's New Graduate Development Program (NGDP). NGDP is an 18-month rotational program across the company's product, marketing, sales and strategy functions. My rotations helped me discover my passion for marketing, and at the conclusion of the program, I went on to join the Corporate Marketing Social Media team as an Associate Marketing Analyst. After three years at Visa, I left to pursue an international fellowship with the US Department of State, returning to the Bay Area in July 2015. Upon returning, I decided to cultivate my marketing expertise at a smaller firm and joined WePay, a Y Combinator backed fintech startup in Redwood City, as a Product Marketing Manager. 

What advice do you give to those interested in your field and type of work? Are there any experiences and skills that you recommend them working on while in college?

My work lies at the intersection of (fin) tech and marketing. For those interested in working at this nexus, I'd highly recommend securing relevant internship experience while in college. Most students plan for internships for the summer after their junior year, but a lot of companies also hire freshmen and sophomores! Start early, and try and get as much experience under your belt before you graduate. Because there's such a high demand to work in tech, it's a competitive area to break into and strong internship experience will help you stand out amongst the crowd.  

What general advice do you have for college students still trying to understand their path?

Take advantage of older students on campus! I came into college pre-med and a few quarters in, I realized I wasn't as passionate about biology and chemistry I had thought. I spent the following quarter taking classes that I was genuinely interested in and once I realized these courses counted towards a particular major, I started talking with older students in that major to understand what careers would be open to me upon graduating. I had a hunch that I was interested in business, but I truly didn't know what a career in business even entailed. The students I spoke to were juniors and seniors, all of whom had completed at least one internship across a variety of fields and functions. It was through these informal conversations that I learned about opportunities in consulting, finance, sales, marketing, etc. and made an informed decision about the path I wanted to pursue. 

If you could give a piece of advice to your college self, what would it be?

Get involved in meaningful extra-curricular activities and clubs early and remain consistent throughout your time in college. Choose clubs that reinforce your passions and allow you to practice leadership skills. It's a balancing act juggling school and extra-curricular, but it's so important for your personal and professional growth. 

Did you or do you currently have a mentor? How did they support you personally and/or professionally?

I don't have a mentor in the conventional sense, but do have a professional coach through a program I'm involved in called Management Leadership for Tomorrow. My coach helps me frame my professional and personal experiences in a way that demonstrates my preparedness for the next steps in my career.