Alumni Spotlight: Meet Jessa

Last month, we put out an Alumni Survey to reconnect with some of our past participants. Let’s just say, we have been overwhelmed by the number of responses we’ve received and are excited to share them with you here. This month, we highlight Jessa!

Name: Jessa

Age: 28

Years in SOS Outreach: 7

SOS Location: Eagle County, CO

Career: Interior designer in New York City

Do you still ski or snowboard? Yes

How do you think SOS Outreach has impacted your life? When I was in SOS I had to set up a resume and do a job shadow when I was 13 (I was definitely the only kid doing this at that age). I got the chance to do a job shadow at an Interior Design firm in the Vail Valley and loved it. A lot of kids go to college without even having a job so they don’t know what to go to college for, but I was confident going in that I would love interior design thanks to the job shadow and some design classes I took over the summer before college. As a senior in high school, I was a children’s ski instructor at Beaver Creek, an SOS junior mentor, and I also worked at two restaurants in Eagle as a hostess, waitress, and barista. I think SOS taught me very early on ways to be a good person through the core values, and also how to get a job which has been invaluable. I wish every 13/14 year old was asked to do a job shadow! And the snowboarding aspect was just fun, I knew that I would be accepted and have a great day every time I went snowboarding or to community service.