Jakob is a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he majored in Industrial and Systems Engineering and minored in Business. During his time there, he volunteered with Young Life at Giles High School, an organization dedicated to developing relationships and sharing the gospel with high school students He continued to lead Young Life in Giles for a year after graduating.

During this time, he also began working for Revlon as an industrial engineer, which is where he will continue to work during the Fellows year. During his free time this year, Jakob will be starting a Young Life club at William Byrd High School and frequently playing sports.