TEAK Class: 6
High School: LREI High School
College: Cornell University
Profession: Account Manager at Newsela
Jenilssa is a member of Class Six, The Classics. She graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Hospitality with minors in Marketing and English. Jenilssa and her family emigrated from the Dominican Republic when she was a child. At the age of twelve, she joined the TEAK Fellowship to realize her dream of being the first person in her family to graduate from College.
Upon graduation, Jenilssa worked in hospitality revenue management and marketing, traveling to Europe and The Americas to advise hotels on how to increase their digital footprint. She has since made a career change and now works as an Account Manager for an Education Technology company, wanting to leverage her experience to join an organization that stands for one of her passions, Literacy. She is one of the founding members of the TEAK’s Alumni Association and an advocate of the TEAK mentor program.
Favorite Memories at TEAK
I made some of my closest friends through TEAK including Danya Contreras who ended up at Cornell University with me and was my roommate all throughout college. I loved the mentor program and was paired with an amazing mentor, Claudia, who I’m still very close with today.
TEAK also helped me discover my love of Broadway! We saw a lot of shows through the CATS program and the generosity of George and Barbara Kovacs. In my apartment, I have a wall with all the playbills from all the shows I’ve attended…60 Playbills to be exact! My favorite memory is pushing George Kovacs down 42nd Street in his wheelchair (in heels!) to a Broadway show.
Jenilssa’s Advice for current TEAK Fellows:
- Be responsive. Follow the 24-hour rule.
- Be early and be reliable.
- Send thank you notes.
Get in touch with Jenilssa:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenilssa-m-holguin-26ab4a2b/