Take 5 with Jen Ryan

Jen Ryan (’21)

Wake Forest Fellow in Information Systems

1. How do you define success for yourself? What has helped you to be successful?

Success, for me, is making the world a better place and lifting up other community members through my work. I have always been drawn to positions where I get to interact and collaborate with others. I want to do my job to the best of my ability, achieve goals efficiently and successfully, and continue to grow as a person and professional throughout the process. Having great mentors and advisors has helped me to be successful. I also rely on good time management, internal self-drive and motivation, and asking for help from others when I need it.

2. Think of a time that you faced a challenge, obstacle, or roadblock. How did you get through that and what did you learn?

Making the transition from high school student to college student was a bit of a challenge for me. On top of rigorous academics and extracurricular commitments, I came to Wake Forest knowing absolutely no one, so the first couple of weeks felt isolating. I got through this by changing my perspective on what it meant to be the first person from my high school to come to Wake Forest. I started to look at it as an opportunity to build a new community and home here, and that was when I started to reach out to people, clubs, and organizations that felt like a good fit for me. I learned more about what I value as a person and how to fulfill my social and emotional needs in a new environment, which will continue to benefit me throughout my adult life.

3. Who are your people (either by name or role) who help you to be successful/confident/intentional/reflective/any other descriptor you want to use? And how have they helped you?

Being at Wake Forest, I was able to build and foster relationships with a wide variety of people, including other students, professors, staff, and community members. Wake Forest and Winston-Salem are very welcoming communities that want to support you and help you grow as a person. From the start, I have had my relative Chip Seidle, who lives on Faculty Drive, to turn to for advice and support. He is the one who first inspired my love for Wake Forest and who has been there for me throughout my four years and beyond. I was also involved in Jewish Life at Wake Forest and Gail Bretan, one of our Associate Chaplains, has been a great mentor to me and helped me through many challenges over the years. It is great to know that the Wake Forest community is so tight-knit, and I will always have people to fall back on when I need them.

4. How did you find your people?

As a self-described introvert this can be difficult at times, but what I needed to do to find my people was to put myself out there. I needed to explore new and diverse spaces and see which ones and which people made me feel safe and at home. I couldn’t simply wait for people to find me or expect the first people I met to be the perfect group of friends and mentors. Relationships are constantly evolving and require effort on both sides, so it was important for me to remind close friends and loved ones how much I cared about them and appreciated them. This allowed me to create strong, life-long relationships with members of the community.

5. What advice would you give to Wake Forest students as they look for their people?

Wake Forest is a wonderful place filled with incredible people. You will not have to look far and wide to find some of the best friends, associates, and mentors, and great connections can come in unexpected places. Be open to new relationships and do your part to help them thrive and grow. Also, be patient with yourself and give yourself time. Your people are out there, and you will find them. You were drawn to this place for a reason, and love for Wake Forest can be a great common ground to start the foundation for long-lasting relationships with others.