Jennifer LeBold, an organizational leadership student at Peirce College and a full-time senior resource coordinator, is one of the recipients of the Paradigm Scholarship for Working Women.

As an employee of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, LeBold learned about Peirce College from her Administrative Director, Dr. Susan Delaney, who encouraged her to apply.

She ultimately decided to attend Peirce due to the good academic reputation and the variety of academic programs offered. In the fall of 2020, she enrolled in the Associate in Science in Business Administration, which she finished in December 2022.

She is now working to complete her Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership & Management.

“The Business Administration program at Peirce was best suited for my current role and will provide the opportunity to advance in my professional career,” she said.

As a full-time employee, LeBold has had to balance many responsibilities while completing her degree. She has persevered by prioritizing her coursework and sacrificing attending social gatherings.

“At times, it was difficult. However, I am so happy I stuck to the plan,” she said. “My reward was obtaining a 4.0 GPA average, being recognized on the President’s List, and graduating on time.”

LeBold first heard about the Paradigm Scholarship from her employer and was encouraged to apply by her colleagues.

“This scholarship will help me to pay for my tuition, lowering my overall costs of college,” she said. “I have higher educational and career goals to achieve, and I look forward to striving for them.”

She speaks highly when she describes her experience at Peirce. “I was fortunate enough to have great professors who went above and beyond.,” she said. “They cared about my academic career and growth which in turn made me want to excel.”

Currently, LeBold works as a Senior Resource Coordinator at the Center for Applied Genomics at CHOP. In the future, she plans to use her business degree to transition into a Center Administrative Director role and to contribute at a higher level to the CHOP research mission. 

And for all her fellow Peirce students and the working adults considering going back to school, Jennifer has three pieces of advice:

• “Don’t procrastinate. Do it because you will never regret it!”
• “Plan for success! It’s important to have a work/life/school balance. Make the effort to block out time for schoolwork. Don’t let yourself fall behind because then you can get discouraged.”
• And lastly, “This is a big decision that will impact your life so enjoy the ride!”

Read more about Jennifer LeBold at Peirce College.

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