Jaqui Lynch has always wanted to work in Human Resources (HR). It’s why she originally pursued an associate’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in HR. But in 2018, she had to take a break from school to balance raising her son and working a full-time job.
In 2021, Jaqui began working at her local Dunkin’. She hadn’t forgotten her passion to pursue a career in HR – and it wasn’t long before she realized Dunkin’ could make her dream a reality.
“I was given a new onboarding packet when I jumped into a Training Manager role,” shares Jaqui. “It included some information about a partnership Dunkin’ had with Southern New Hampshire University. It hit me: this is the path to finishing my degree.”
Originally spearheaded by Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) alumni and Dunkin’ franchisee Ed Wolak for his franchisee team members, Inspire’s expanded partnership with SNHU offers any Inspire franchisee team member the ability to pursue an online degree from anywhere in the world at 15% off tuition. Additionally, any family members of franchisee team members are eligible to receive 10% off tuition at SNHU.
For Jaqui, it was exactly what she needed to not only finish her associate’s degree but also complete a 4-year bachelor’s degree. “Suddenly, tuition was affordable, and the asynchronous classes meant I could finally fit school into my personal life and work schedule.”
Jaqui graduated from SNHU with a bachelor’s degree in HR in 2023, attending the ceremony with her son. Now she’s the HR manager for Dunkin’ franchisee The Serpa Network, doing what she’s always felt called to do for the brand that made it possible. “HR is exactly what I always imagined it would be. If you treat your employees well, you create that ‘people first’ culture that makes people want to come to work,” shares Jaqui. “I truly love what I do. I feel like I’ll be in HR and Dunkin’ for the rest of my life.”
As both a successful SNHU alumnus and an HR manager of a franchisee network, Jaqui encourages all franchisee team members to take advantage of the discounted tuition to go to school – including her own son, who now works at The Sepa Network as a Dunkin’ team member. “To anyone on the fence, I say: You can do it! SNHU gave me so much foundational knowledge about Human Resources and the inner workings of running a business. It was a tremendous experience that I would recommend to anybody.”
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