Living Her Journey
Jennifer Lewis-Hall was raised to see the world as an open place, taught that if you want to do something, you can do it. “There is nothing that should get in the way of your dreams and goals,” Jennifer explains. “My mother is an incredible motivator, a community organizer, a teacher and a philanthropist. My parents were always telling me “Go for it.” If there was something we wanted to do they would tell us, “So what if you are not the best. Go for it.” Growing up in the 70s, surrounded by so much drive and passion, Jennifer felt the world of possibilities open to her.
When Jennifer’s father, Arthur Lewis ran for school board in Cherry Hill, NJ, he asked her as an elementary school student, to write a letter on his behalf. She wrote about her thoughts on how great he would be on the school board, how he helped with her homework and how much he loved her. “That campaign letter sort of set off a spark,” recalls Jennifer.
“As the cub journalist in my household I was always asking the hard questions. I was outspoken, loved people and was always questioning. Simple answers were never good enough.” Her dad, acknowledging how well she could write, knew someday she would go on to do great things with writing. He went on to win a highly competitive race, elected the first African American on the school board, and served for many years.
The youngest of three children, Jennifer’s inquisitive nature and writing skills would serve her well. Her older brothers, each pursued professions to match their personality, and agreed that reporting was the perfect road for Jennifer. “I knew I would do something in communications. I didn’t quite know if I would be a teacher, a reporter, a newscaster, cover business, or whatever. I just knew it would have to involve people.” Jennifer holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from Douglass College at Rutgers University.
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