Like many college graduates, Jennifer Pestikas didn't exactly go into the field she expected when she received her Bachelor of Arts in French and Spanish.

While in the process of completing her degree, Pestikas took her studies to Provence, France for a year where she learned valuable lessons of open mindedness and flexibility. The experience didn't quite draw a straight line to her credit union career, but it did add a colorful piece to the mosaic of her life.

"I think the experience made me perfect for marketing because when I did my liberal arts major, I studied poetry, the arts and French artists, that's part of that degree structure," the most recent Women to Watch honoree said. "So I have a natural creative bent."