Jordana Terrell ’20 has always loved a good show. Though she arrived at 罗兹 与 aspirations of becoming an actress, she quickly found her niche in production, 在哪里她可以创造性地工作, while also leveraging her attention to detail 和 love of organization. During her time at 罗兹, Jordana participated in 罗兹 Theater Guild, 和 worked closely 与 Dr. Joy Fairfield to learn the ins 和 outs of stage management.
After a working 与 the nonprofit Girls Inc., Jordana was recruited via Linkedin for a position that would put her production skills to the test: Br和ed Entertainment 和 Operations Production Assistant at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, where she currently coordinates hundreds of volunteers, as well as the larger-than-life balloons we see annually on TV. Read below to learn more about her journey!
艾丽亚娜一直 人工养殖珍珠:
What caught your eye about 罗兹? 是什么让你这么兴奋地来到这里?
Jordana泰瑞:
I found out about 罗兹 through a good friend of mine. She was participating in an exploratory college program, 当她看到罗兹时, 她马上给我发短信. She said I had to check it out, so I did, 和 I immediately fell in love. It felt like just the right amount of intimacy 和 professor-to-student ratio that I was really looking for.
EM:
What was your experience after you graduated? How do you feel about your 罗兹 journey?
JT:
I felt fortunate to be a part of a community that was so supportive. 罗兹 tried hard to make our senior year special, even though it was impacted by Covid. I felt so grateful when they invited us back in 2021 to walk, even though it wasn't on our campus. 这对我来说很重要. I was the first person in my family to graduate 与 a four-year degree, so walking across the stage was the closure of my college career. [After graduation], the 罗兹 network has helped me find community 和 thrive in New York City.
EM:
Did you bring any of those lessons you learned in the classroom 与 you into the workforce?
JT:
The English department has a huge focus on creating good communicators, 最重要的是, I have that valued that skill in my career. When you get into the professional world, you're working 与 people 从 different backgrounds, 和 you're all doing very different jobs. I feel confident in my communication skills, 和 know that I can work effectively 与 anyone. I think that really speaks to the strength of the liberal arts program.
EM:
After working in development 与 Girl’s Inc on the local 和 national levels, 你的下一步是什么?
JT:
I knew that I wanted to focus on entertainment 和 community building. After deciding to make a career change, I worked a few jobs as a Production Assistant 和 then was recruited for the Macy’s role via Linkedin. Thank you to Career Services for teaching me how to have a good LinkedIn profile!
My job title now is Br和ed Entertainment 和 Operations Production assistant. My core group of folks focuses on the operational pieces. So, 很多事实, 坚韧不拔的, 比如健康和安全, 和 how to get people 从 Point A to Point B. Those kinds of operational details are where I fall. Specifically, I’m on the uptown 和 balloon team. I have helped coordinate all of the volunteers that walk underneath the large balloons, 和 that alone is a program of nineteen hundred people. Ultimately, we make your experience more enjoyable.
EM:
How have your 主要s of English 和 剧院 contributed to your work?
JT:
When I got to 罗兹, I knew that I wanted to pursue theater. English was something I was going to do in addition to theater, 因为我喜欢写作, but theater was where my heart truly lied. 当我刚开始的时候, 我以为我会成为一名演员, but I came to the realization that my strengths are better utilized in a more behind-the-scenes function. 我经常和布朗博士一起工作. Fairfield on stage management roles 和 learning what that process was like. Then, it was really the 罗兹 剧院 Guild where I found that I liked producing. Producing met me at this intersection of the creative work that I love, while also doing the detail-oriented, organized work that my brain enjoyed.
EM:
What advice do you have for our recent graduates? It can be a personal piece of advice or professional, whatever you feel willing to share.
JT:
I think something that I've always tried to follow, 和 that has consistently led me in the right direction, 这在安全范围内吗, 做让你害怕的事. 如果你有两个选择, 有人会觉得“哦, 这是安全的, 这正是我想要的, 我可以做到, 我会没事的.” But then you have another option that's like “this is a little bit of a risk, 有点吓人, but I could rise to the challenge 和 do it.“做那个. 总是更好. 总是更好 to push yourself a little bit more, to be challenged a little bit harder, because that experience is going to be new 和 exciting. It's also going to help you grow into something that you didn't even know you had 与in you.
艾丽亚娜一直 人工养殖珍珠 23年是 罗兹 发展 数字内容 实习生, a 媒体 研究 主要 与 a 剧院 和 宗教研究 双 小 从 科罗拉多州 弹簧, 科罗拉多州.