Jen Sewell, KFMB radio’s assistant program director and co-host of the “Greg and Jen” afternoon drive show, says she has a dream job. “If somebody had told me I’d be paid to do what I’m doing, I’d have told them they were crazy,” says Sewell, 29.

A San Diego State graduate, this radio talent began her on-air career as an unpaid intern at KFMB in 1995. Since then, she has risen through the ranks, interning for the Jeff and Jer Showgram, hosting the evening show on Star 100.7 and then becoming the station’s music director. She has won several awards, including the Active Industry Research competition two years in a row, in 1999 and 2000. That is a nationwide competition among radio programmers to predict which records will become hits.

One thing Sewell couldn’t predict was the effect an 8-year-old girl would have on her life. Sewell became a Big Sister a couple of months ago, and now she looks at the world with new eyes. “Every time I’m with this little girl, it’s an amazing, rewarding experience,” Sewell says. “She teaches me so much about life, that there’s more to life than dollars and cents.”

Sewell’s life also has been touched by the women at Becky’s House, the YWCA shelter for victims of domestic violence. Sewell spends many hours each year securing the bands that will perform in Star 100.7’s Jingle Ball concert, which raises funds for Becky’s House.

“Meeting women who come out of Becky’s House is a life-changing experience,” she says. “You count your blessings. I don’t complain a lot anymore.”

Something else tugs on Sewell’s heartstrings these days as well. “I’ve been concentrating on my career for the past nine years,” she said. “Now I’m looking for the right man to marry.”

— Bonnie A. Nicholls