Staff Interview: Lauren Eaken
12/22/2023
Everyone needs someone to push them in their life. That could be a friend, a family member, a coworker, or a Career Specialist. Our staff at JOG works hard every day to help young people across Northeast Ohio succeed in their educational training, GED programs, and learn lifelong skills through programs like soft skill training. Lauren Eaken is a beacon of what passing positive reinforcement and ambition on to our JOG participants looks like.
Lauren’s journey with JOG began after spending the beginning of her career as a Field Biologist working on commercial fishing boats in Alaska. After working in that environment for a while, she decided she wanted to enjoy a career that focused on helping young people while also allowing her more time for a personal life. When relating her previous work with her new job at JOG, Lauren explained, “I had worked in tutoring before, so I was able to use that to help our out-of-school students.” Coming into her second year with JOG, Lauren has transitioned to the in-school classroom. Lauren has adapted well and has been enjoying her new workplace setting. “I like the classroom aspect. I get the chance to work with my students and see them every day,” said Lauren.
As a Career Specialist in Medina County, Lauren has been able to see the growth in her participants from day one to where they are now. When going over some of the things that have left an impression, Lauren said, “The thing that sticks with me the most [at JOG] is the relationships that you get to cultivate. You get to build meaningful relationships with the participants in order to connect with them on a different level which allows them to grow into who they were created to be.”
Our Career Specialists get to work with participants every day to provide that extra push towards achieving their goals. Whether that is positive reinforcement, recognition, or other meaningful motivations. For Lauren, this when students have the “lightbulb moment” when everything clicks. Lauren expressed, “Something that touched me the most is when the students get that ‘a-ha’ moment. They realize they can be successful and what they want is in their grasp. They get to change from the negativity they have been told to igniting that fire to hit milestones towards their goals.”
We are so happy to have Lauren as a member of the JOG family. Her commitment to providing Medina County youth with a solid education and stable support along the way is admirable. We are so excited to see where her career with JOG takes her.