Club President Barb Yong and Savannah Jeffreys

Our Zonta Club of Oak Brook welcomed Savannah Jeffreys to our September club meeting, our JMK Women in Business Award recipient as she began her Junior year at Wheaton College in nearby Wheaton, Illinois where she is pursuing a Bachelor Degree with a Business/Economics Major and an Entrepreneurship Minor.

Savannah has been named to the Dean’s List every semester since enrolling at Wheaton.

One of her professors described Savannah’s classwork in a team project where she collaborated with her peers to develop a business idea aimed at decreasing wait times in urgent care emergency room settings. Savannah played a crucial role in this project,  conducting extensive research, developing a viable business plan, and presenting the idea with confidence and clarity. Her team was selected to pitch their idea in front of judges and a 250-person audience. Her innovative thinking and strong teamwork skills were instrumental in the success of this project, which received high praise from other entrepreneurs and investors.

As a summer Executive Writing Intern with HOPE International Savannah assisted their CEO and executive team in launching various writing projects, completing blog posts, and learning more about the value of microfinance in breaking the cycle of poverty among the world’s poor.

Beyond her academics, Savannah is a dedicated varsity swimmer and a freelance Harp Soloist, who performs in a variety of venues. She has been an active participant in the Center for Faith and Innovation at Wheaton College, where over the past year she worked with a non-profit “client,” using Agile project management and design thinking skills to create a design brief addressing one of the challenges this organization was facing. She was invited to Europe to present her ideas to this organization in a larger conference setting, where she was able to connect with other industry professionals.

We wish Savannah all the best in her academic journey and pursuing her career goals!