Jobs That Make a Difference: Kyla Jacquez, Senior Product Marketing Manager

At Cengage, our mission-driven culture creates jobs that make a difference in the lives of learners. Working here means having a direct impact by helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. From Senior Events Specialists to Institutional Account Representatives our people help give learners the choice in how, where and what they learn. 

We spoke with Kyla Jacquez, Senior Product Marketing Manager, about why she is passionate about turning instructor insights into digital learning experiences that make a difference for learners and instructors. 

   

How does your role and the work you do help learners and instructors?

I work on the digital learning platforms that instructors and learners use to access and engage with Cengage content, so there’s a pretty direct connection between my work and their experience. My input might help shape a click path an instructor takes every week or how learners access the materials and tools they need.

There are so many decisions that can affect whether an experience feels intuitive and useful. I get to help make sure the great work happening behind the scenes translates into an experience that works for instructors and learners, whether they rely more on print, digital, or a combination of both.

That level of impact is really cool and, honestly, a little scary at the same time! Knowing that the decisions we make can shape how people teach and learn makes the work especially meaningful.

What is something you're proud of that has impacted learners?

One of the things I’m most proud of right now is helping bring Cengage’s Explore™ to life. Explore is our unified K-12 digital learning platform that brings curriculum, classroom management tools, and real-time insights together in one place. I’ve had the opportunity to work with the platform from its initial development through its launch and now as we continue to improve it.

What has been especially exciting is seeing input from thousands of instructors help shape the platform. I’ve watched our teams take that feedback and turn it into an experience designed around what instructors and learners actually need. Being involved throughout that process has also given me the opportunity to help communicate what makes Explore valuable and how it can support teaching and learning.

We’re still in the early stages of seeing the impact Explore can have on learners, which is part of what makes me so proud to be involved. It feels like we’re just getting started.

What motivated you to work at Cengage and in edtech?

I come from a family of instructors and educators, but I knew pretty early that being in the classroom wasn’t the right path for me. I was still drawn to education and the opportunity to have an impact on how people learn.

Edtech was especially interesting to me because I watched technology evolve pretty rapidly throughout my own education, from elementary school through college. The opportunity to experience that evolution as a learner and then have a hand in shaping those experiences for others was really exciting.

There’s also a fun full-circle element to how I ended up at Cengage: I was actually hired by one of my former middle school principals. I was fresh out of undergrad and fortunate to have the opportunity to apply my own experiences as a learner to work that supports instructors and learners.

What has kept you at Cengage for over eight years?

The people are a huge part of it. I’ve built really meaningful relationships and learned from so many people throughout my time at Cengage.

I’ve also been fortunate to explore different areas that piqued my interest and gave me opportunities to develop new skills. Moving from Customer Success into Marketing, for example, was a scary jump, but one I was excited to make. I’m not sure I would have had the same opportunity somewhere else.

Even as my role and teams have changed, the relationships I’ve built and the opportunities to keep learning and growing have been constants. Those are a big part of what has kept me at Cengage for more than eight years.

In what ways have the opportunities at Cengage contributed to your career growth?

My career at Cengage has taken me from Sales to Customer Success and eventually into Marketing. Looking back, those moves don’t feel completely separate. Each role exposed me to new areas of the business, sparking my curiosity and giving me the confidence to explore what might come next.

I think that’s one of the benefits of having so many different teams and areas of expertise across Cengage. You can build skills within your own role while also getting exposure to other kinds of work. That can help you understand what energizes you, where you want to grow, and ultimately what you want the next phase of your career to look like.

Based on your experience, what is the strongest element of Cengage’s culture?

For me, it comes back to the people and the support we give each other. The people I’ve worked with at Cengage are willing to hear you out when you have a problem or an idea. Even if they aren’t the person who can help directly, chances are they know who to nudge next or can point you in the right direction.

Of course, there’s a balance. We all have our own jobs to get done. But that willingness to support one another is one of our biggest strengths and part of why so many of us care deeply about the work we do.

We’re here for our learners and instructors, and we’re here for each other.

 

Learn more: 

Cengage employees make an impact and change the world. Here, transparency and collaboration are core values. We provide challenging careers, competitive benefits, a strong technology focus and a great team of co-workers and customers. 

To learn more and apply for an open role, visit the careers section of our website.