Jeannine Lynch graduates in less than a month with her dream job already lined up, but she isn’t taking her foot off the gas anytime soon. Whether that’s working as a career coach or running a half-marathon, she is making the most out of her last semester at Wake Forest.
When she first arrived on campus as a freshman, Lynch didn’t know that she’d major in business and enterprise management (BEM), let alone be named by Poets and Quants as one of the 100 best and brightest business majors in the country for 2024. She laughed, explaining that her friends joked that she had changed her major 15 times.
Lynch found her niche, though, when she realized she could combine business with something she’s always had an affection for: politics.
“I’ve always been really passionate about staying informed when it comes to politics,” Lynch said. “Being aware of what’s going on and being able to speak up and [knowing] what I’m speaking up on [is important to me].”
She continued: “I think a huge part of being a leader as a woman — and especially as a woman in business — is being aware of all the other things that are going on around you and how your actions within your company even could [have an impact].”
Studying at the Wake Forest University School of Business, Lynch was pushed outside of her comfort zone. She had not been exposed to the business world before declaring her major sophomore year, but she learned to be collaborative and innovative. Now, as a peer career coach for the Center for Market Readiness and Employment at Wake Forest, she mentors other students pursuing their own unique career aspirations.
“Being able to combine my experiences from both majors has really given me a well-rounded perspective and given me the opportunity to listen to others’ perspectives,” Lynch said.
Lynch has also revered getting to know her professors, namely Dr. Julie Wayne, business professor and faculty advisor of the Zeta Omicron Chapter of Kappa Delta sorority.
“I got to work with [Wayne] in multiple aspects [such as] being a student in her capstone research class […],” Lynch said. “She just has this unique capability of making students feel welcome and heard.”
Lynch has applied her knowledge as a BEM and politics and international affairs double-major to her roles as senator and public relations committee co-chair of Wake Forest’s Student Government, and later as president of Kappa Delta. Lynch expressed her desire to “be a problem solver” and enact change in the world — a quality she accredits to her mother, who solely raised Lynch and her brother after their father passed when they were young.
“Growing up in a single-parent home, my mother has been my number one inspiration,” she said. “[That] has constantly shown me what it’s like to impact young women in a positive manner.”
Looking towards the future, Lynch will continue to put her all into her work, acknowledging that she couldn’t have succeeded without making time for herself and her friends and family.
After graduation, Lynch will join Deloitte Consulting as an Analyst in their Government & Public Services practice in Washington D.C. — a perfect marriage of her two majors.
“I am excited to be working on projects that I’m really passionate about […]. I’m really excited to be working on projects that have a broader impact.”
