Jennifer Chidester is so driven that she never leaves the fast lane. At 31, she is opening her own company, Limelight Public Relations. In December, she will receive her master’s degree in mass communication from SDSU before going for a Ph.D.

She started her PR career 10 years ago with an internship with Beastie Boys/Capitol Records. The position turned into a paid gig while she was taking a full college course load.

“I had great mentors in college who advised me to get in the industry if I wanted to be ahead of the game,” she recalls. “So I started commuting from Orange County to Los Angeles to work for Capitol. By the time I graduated, I had three years’ PR experience.”

She hasn’t slowed down since. As a director at Gable Cook Schmid, she brought in or managed accounts that included the San Diego Trolley, San Diego Airport Authority and Cirque Du Soleil.

“I consider myself a media connoisseur,” she says. “I love studying how media motivate people to action and to form opinions.”

Chidester, who is single, has volunteered with UCSD Athena, which promotes women in science and technology. Chidester also helps Operation K9 and is a founding board member of the San Diego Film Foundation and Festival. She attributes her drive and work ethic to her single mother, who often held two jobs.

“I believe in taking something on 110 percent or not at all,” she says. “It’s easy to approach your work with everything you have to give when you love what you do.”