Keller Williams Realty
Leading Real Estate Agent
CLASS OF 1987
At Washington & Jefferson College, Janet Gresh displayed the kind of determination and perseverance that has made her one of the top realtors in the country. Each morning, she arrived at her local YMCA at 6 a.m. to work as a lifeguard, even while completing a rigorous load of coursework. Gresh says that W&J was perfect for
her because she didn't know what she wanted to do when she arrived. "A liberal arts education prepares you for anything," she says. "You just have to keep trying things. You can explore, you make mistakes. And, if you fail, you just pick yourself up and do something else."
Gresh's career is a testimony to her own advice. When she came to W&J, she originally thought she wanted to follow a pre-medical curriculum, but soon shifted her sights to business administration and political science. After graduation, Gresh decided to expand her horizons by applying for a master's degree in software engineering. When she was told that she did not have the right undergraduate coursework to enter the program, she put her liberal arts education into action by completing every master's-level software engineering course available. She showed she was capable of the work and successfully finished the program.
While pursuing her software engineering degree, Gresh exercised her entrepreneurial talents by starting, managing, and later selling, three privately owned jewelry businesses. By the time she was 30 years old, she had earned an advanced degree, programmed flight simulators for the Federal Aviation Administration, and toured Europe. When she returned to the United States, Gresh's love of working with people inspired her to take a realtor's license test, and not surprisingly, she passed it with no difficulty. Today, through Keller Williams Realty, Gresh serves the areas of Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Maryland. Her knowledge of real estate sales and online marketing has placed her in the top 1 percent of realtors nationwide.
