By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
It's obvious from the second you meet Jake Betlow that he's a people person.
Over the past several months, the rising sophomore of the Lehigh men's basketball team worked with all different types of people, interning with the NJ 30 Day Fund to help small businesses amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It started as the VA 30 Day Fund in Virginia and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie saw it was working, so he started it in New Jersey," said Betlow. "The fund gives out forgivable loans to small businesses that meet a certain set of criteria."
To be considered for a forgivable loan, small businesses must employ between three and 30 employees, be based in New Jersey and been operating for at least a year. Business owners must also reside in the state.
The loans are meant to help small business get through these challenging times COVID-19 has brought, with the primary focus on people and saving jobs.
Jake's opportunity arose innocently enough, and is one that could pay significant dividends in his present, and future.
"A woman in my community, Beth Lewis, reached out to me because a lot of internships were falling through this summer," said Betlow, who is enrolled in Lehigh's College of Business.
"She knew I had a really good last semester (3.96 GPA) and asked if I'd be interested in being a first-round reviewer for the NJ 30 Day Fund."
It would be an unpaid position, but Jake knew, a tremendous learning experience.
"She said Governor Christie would do everything he could to let our schools know how much we helped," said Betlow. "A number of people I know started, but faded. I thought it was worth it, so I stuck it out and grinded through about 100 to 150 applications.
"I went through applications and looked at the video submissions. Videos showed us the landscape of their business and where they're located, introducing us to their employees, what they'd use the loan for and how it would help."
Betlow went through a checklist featuring the aforementioned criteria along with verifying addresses and employee identification numbers because as he said, "Unfortunately, you're going to get some scams of people trying to take advantage of the situation."
Betlow either approved the application and sent it to the second-round reviewers, declined it or put it on the wait list.
"I was in contact with businesses, emailing them and trying to create a relationship with the ones who had a real shot of getting the loan," he said.
Much of Betlow's work came at a desk working remotely, but there were plenty of opportunities to use his strengths as a people person.
"I believe I brought loads to the table just by being me, so when I stepped outside my comfort zone to make that call or send that email, I did so with confidence," said Betlow. "My emails were professional, but also casual. I was asking about their family and about their business."
It's no different than the way Betlow carries himself around the Lehigh men's basketball team – confidently, and humbly at the same time.
"Jake has an infectious personality," said head coach Brett Reed. "He's someone who's really comfortable being himself and he's genuinely interested in relationships with people. Those who come in contact with him seem to really like him and he has a natural way of drawing you into his personality."
By being so involved in the NJ 30 Day Fund, Betlow gained valuable insight into the business world. In the process, he learned about all different types of businesses.
"I learned how people are struggling, how people are dealing with COVID-19 and how people are going about getting PPP (Paycheck Protection Program)," said Betlow. "If a business that I reviewed got the loan, I was able to call that business and break the news. It was awesome to hear how happy and appreciative they were."
Betlow was happy to take part in such a cause. The internship was the final chapter of year one as a Lehigh student-athlete, learning about himself in a number of settings.
The first chapter was meeting his classmates and teammates.
"For me, the easiest part about acclimating to Lehigh basketball was getting on campus and being best friends with the guys on the team and everyone in the program," said Betlow. "I haven't felt like I've had to step outside of who I am. I'm really comfortable around everybody in the program, and as the year went on, it became even easier."
The love will still be just as strong but we'll just be a little distant. #WearAMask #SocialDistancing https://t.co/tIl6VZxuWx
— Noel Hightower (@coachtower23) August 14, 2020
It's safe to say 2020 has not been an easy year for just about everyone, with the biggest culprit being the pandemic. However, throughout, Betlow has gained one thing… perspective.
"At the end of the day, I know where my next meal is coming from. I'm grateful for the opportunity to attend and play basketball at a great university. I have great friends. I have great family.
"I'd contact business owners and in some cases, they'd be in a state of despair not knowing what they were going to do," Betlow continued. "It was hard to put that no (does not meet requirements) or to put 'wait list' on an application. There are a lot of good people out there who didn't didn't qualify.
"It was really hard, but that's a lesson learned."
Betlow learned lessons not in a classroom, but real-life situations.
"There's always someone who has it worse," he said. "Keep your head up, be positive and try to help as many people as possible. But at the end of the day, in life, I learned you have to make tough decisions.
"You have to make decisions for your manager, for yourself and for your team."
The fact that a 19-year old was trusted with such responsibility says a lot about Jake.
"He understands the balance between being a student and having an athletic experience at Lehigh," said Reed. "As invested as Jake is in his basketball career, he's also got the foresight to look ahead to his aspirations after basketball. Getting terrific experiences like this will not only serve as a greater foundation for him, but it's also something he's getting personal satisfaction from because he's helping others."
Betlow has a bright future but for now, he is focused on the present – his sophomore year at Lehigh. He has some general thoughts about long-term goals, but nothing close to concrete.
The pandemic has forced people to live in the present and that's exactly what Betlow is doing.
"I have experienced a lot of places and settings," he said. "That's my strong suit. I'm a good talker, I'm pretty personable and can relate to others.
"At the end of the day, I want to use my business degree to get me through the door and from there, I really want to work with people."
Betlow knows his Lehigh education helped set him up for success this summer, and will continue to do so moving forward.
"Lehigh does a really good job preparing its students for real-life situations," he said. "This was a real-life situation every time I got on the phone and every time I had to email somebody.
"I was dealing with real people in need."
Just by being himself, Jake Betlow was doing what he does best…
Making a lasting impact on people.
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