‍Meet our 'Student Storage Specialist' of the Week- Jenna Zayicek! Jenna joined the Storage Scholars team in the summer of 2022. Jenna lives in Greenville, South Carolina, with her husband, Kevin, and two sweet pups, Opie and Peanut. Outside of Storage Scholars, Jenna has lots of hobbies and talents. She loves embroidery, Christmas, cooking with her husband, gardening, reading, and serving her community. Jenna is a beacon of positivity and sweetness and an asset to our little Storage Scholars team. 

My Role at Storage Scholars

My official title at Storage Scholars is Operations Coordinator, which means I help ensure all of our campus teams run smoothly. I execute the operations and logistics of our services across our campuses. I've since added Recruitment Coordinator to that title, as I now also work to recruit our outstanding student team members at each campus for a dynamic internship.

My position is remote, so everything I do is through email, phone, or our company Slack channel. I can communicate easily with my team members and the numerous student Campus Co-founders. Working remotely is an incredible perk of my job. The flexibility and freedom that come along with being remote are the best. I don't think I'll ever work another way again!

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A Little About My Background

My background is highly varied, which gives me a unique perspective on how to get the job done. Babysitter, restaurant hostess, and hotel clerk were all past work experiences that started my professional life at a young age. I worked in retail for almost a decade, ending my time in that field as an Assistant Store Manager at one of the Big Brand stores in my local mall. When that ended, I took a leap, got my mortgage license, and wrote mortgages for five years.

I have owned several small businesses, and I still own one, With Love, From Jenna. It started as a hobby making hot cocoa bombs for friends and family and bloomed into much more! I began selling chocolate-covered strawberries and am busy all year round for Valentine's Day, Easter, and even birthdays. I love sharing happiness through food and friends, family, and new friends that I meet through my business. Knowing that folks appreciate the goodies I create means the world!!

All these experiences have taught me different skills that I get to apply in a beautiful way and have prepared me to serve my team at Storage Scholars!

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A Typical Day at Storage Scholars 

Because of the seasonal nature of our company, my days can look entirely different for each quarter of the year. I am responsible for ensuring our Campus Teams are set up for success. Currently, this means communicating with 23 campuses; however, with the expansion of Storage Scholars, this number is increasing every season. I work directly with our talented campus interns to ensure they are stocked with plenty of supplies (boxes, tape, etc.). I also oversee our rental trucks for the many moves that occur throughout the year. Each piece must be in place to ensure a successful moving and student storage season!

Additionally, I get to interact with the administration and students on the campuses where we operate to ensure we provide a meaningful experience (internship and moving/storage service alike). I am typically the first point of contact each new Career Center has with Storage Scholars. When working with a new school, I reach out to the Employer Relations contact within the Career Center to introduce myself and our company. I want that first interaction to be positive, upbeat, and fluid to set the stage for a positive relationship.

It is essential to start on the right foot to set us up for success in recruiting the students on that campus. Career Centers are a big way to spread the word about the internship opportunity! Maintaining strong connections with them is an integral part of my job for the long-term growth of Storage Scholars. I create brand awareness and reciprocal relationships and set Storage Scholars up for the long haul with these universities. The more they know our name and internship, the stronger our campus teams can be, and our business model is!

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How I Got My Start with Storage Scholars

When I was hired originally, it was for a Customer Success position. Storage Scholars was heading into its busiest season, and the team needed extra help. I heard about the position from my friend, Chelsea, the head of Business Development at Storage Scholars. I know Chelsea from my days writing mortgages and saw a position available. I applied, got the job, fell in love with the company, and quickly shifted into Operations!

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The Hardest Part of the Job

The "on-season" days can get long and stressful. Our company is responsible for moving thousands of students into college in August and September and then out again in April and May. Not a simple or easy feat! I gladly play a big part in the logistics of all that. During those couple of weeks specifically, I can be found working very long days to ensure everything operates as it should. Our movers sometimes have to pull long shifts, and I am often right there with them, behind the scenes, to see that the operation is running smoothly. It can be stressful and exhausting, but the payoff is worth it because I know I've done my part to help the students and their families by taking a massive burden off them. My biggest goal is to have every external interaction be a breath of fresh air - parent, student, campus admin, etc.

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Most Rewarding Part of My Job

The most rewarding part of my job is the impact I have on college campuses through our internship programs. We offer many positive, meaningful, dynamic (and paid!) internship opportunities for the students who attend. By the end of the internship, we want our interns equipped with the hard and soft skills it takes to run their own businesses. And with the service we offer - our high-caliber moving and storage service gives a breath of fresh air to an industry not known for ease. This allows parents/guardians to have confidence in their kid's belongings staying safe. It also enables the student not to worry about moving their belongings and instead focus on finishing the semester strong.

-Jenna

If you're interested in working directly with Jenna and participating in a dynamic internship opportunity, contact her today or send us an application. For more information about our summer storage or ship-to-school programs for college students, visit our website at www.storagescholars.com. We'd love to hear from you!

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