Jessica Webster ’15 has been riding horses since she was four years old and started competing at age eight. The competitiveness instilled in her at an early age has served her well during her time at Whittier where she has been serious about business and even helped her secure a job with a NASA laboratory.
“When I came to Whittier, I had no idea there was an equestrian team. It wasn’t until the activities fair where I met the team’s captain and decided to get involved,” said Webster.
The Altadena native quickly took reins of the team during her sophomore year and rebuilt the team from ashes with the help of some her fellow (non-horsey) business majors.
“My junior year was our first year of competition and there were only two members competing. This year the team has blossomed and we have nine competition members and 11 club members,” said Webster.
When Webster started college, she had plans of becoming a veterinarian. But, her freshman business classes made her realize that her strengths were better suited to pursue a career in business.
She used her experience as research and teaching assistant in the business department, her involvement with the business club ENACTUS, and three years of work experience as an admission ambassador and tour guide to secure a competitive internship in contract management at Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL) last summer.
“It was like a full time job. I worked 40 hours a week, went to meetings with managers, and had a lot of work responsibilities,” said Webster.
A John Greenleaf Whittier Scholarship recipient, Webster created a lasting impression on her JPL managers as she was asked to continue on as an academic part-time employee during her senior year. In addition, a full time job at JPL will be waiting for her after she graduates Whittier this May.
When asked about her plans for the future, she indicated how excited she is about her opportunity at JPL.
“The organization is so big that there are endless learning and growth opportunities for me,” said Webster. “I also want to explore pursuing a graduate degree such as an MBA or going to law school,” added Webster.
