Veronica Lynch ’14 reading to Stockton Unified School District children.

Veronica Lynch ’14 is accustomed to helping people, often behind the scenes, in her role as a communications specialist for Stockton Unified School District.

The Lodi native and her colleagues found themselves thrust into more intense roles as communication needs changed with the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but training paid off.

“Of course, none of us were ready for something such as this,” said Lynch, who graduated from Pacific with a degree in communication. “But there was a calmness because we had a district infectious disease plan, and we had gone through CAL OES (Office of Emergency Services) training.

“It was difficult and important because there were so many different levels of people with whom to communicate.”

Lynch handled many aspects of the early communication needs, from social media posts to creating graphics and dispersing information to families, teachers, students and others.

Her role has settled more into handling social media, she said, including live-streamed updates from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Facebook. She also helps disseminate information through SUSD’s App.

Prior to becoming immersed in SUSD’s pandemic communication, Lynch received what she called “a surprise and great honor.” She was named Classified Educator of the Year by the San Joaquin County Office of Education.

“It was something I never would have expected, but it is a great honor,” said Lynch, 27, who has a blue belt in jiujitsu. “I think the people I work with deserve a lot of the credit. I work with such a great group of people.”

She credits her experience at Pacific for a good deal of her success. She was involved in student groups for public relations, communications and animal rights, and she took part in marketing for Pacific’s athletics department.

“One of my professors told me I should interview for an internship that was open with Stockton Unified,” Lynch said. “I ended up getting the position. I did not think early on about working in education, but it has been very enjoyable and rewarding.”