Jordan is an apartment assistant for Johnson Apartments on Busch Campus. A graduate student from Manalapan, N.J., she is earning her Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management.
On being a Scarlet Knight...
I started undergrad here at Rutgers in 2013 after transferring from a community college. In 2015, I earned my bachelor’s degree in human resource management. During my undergraduate program, I was involved with Residence Hall Association (RHA) on College Ave in Hardenbergh Hall my senior year. I was vice-president and became involved with programming and advocating. There, I got more involved and it was great working with such a big team. Rutgers is a really big place and I would say that being in RHA definitely gave me that quick sense of belonging. After graduation, I worked for a year gaining HR experience, but I knew I wanted to continue to learn, expand, and further my education. I also knew that when I applied to go to graduate school, I wanted to apply to be an apartment assistant. I became an apartment assistant last year for Marvin Apartments and this year I am an apartment assistant for Johnson Apartments. There is so much leadership experience I am gaining and opportunities at Rutgers. That is one of the many aspects I love about being a student here. I have so much Rutgers pride too, you should see the many RU decorations in my apartment.
On graduate school...
Graduate school is definitely different than undergrad. The classes are more data driven. I’m a teaching assistant (TA) right now for three undergraduate courses: Staffing, Training & Development, and Career Management. It’s a huge honor to be asked to TA for 3 professors for those classes while representing the School of Management and Labor Relations. I would say I’m super approachable for my students – it’s always wonderful to say hi and chat on the busses, in the dining hall or simply in class. I love being there for my peers and encouraging to the best. For my course work, like I mentioned there are more data driven courses. I can proudly say, I have taken courses which I never set foot into during my undergrad, courses such as statistics, accounting, economics, etc. I’m glad I tried something challenging and gained new skills. I like to say that it’s important to understand the business, know the people, and be yourself. I want to be able to strategically better the company and develop the people in it. Human resource management is like a big umbrella and you can do a lot with it through so many different avenues. I’m also interested in the field of student affairs, I figured with my master’s I could also go into that. I definitely want to continue to make a difference. I like being there for others and sharing new experiences. I’m definitely interested in recruiting, and putting together different training programs. For residence life, I presented during the trainings held in the summer and winter RA/AA training. For winter the winter session, I was so excited when I created and presented on RA/AA transferrable skills and career exploration. I also sat on the selection committee for new resident and apartment assistants for next academic year. It was very HR like and cool to see all the interest out there and being part of that process.
On approach to being an apartment assistant…
I want to positively impact others and continue to make a difference. I like the leadership role of being an apartment assistant and working directly with residents. I want to be a role model, approachable, and provide resources. I want to build a safe community where it’s inclusive. I want a community that celebrates diversity. I always remember during residence life training we used one of my favorite quotes which is “diversity is being invited to the party and inclusivity is being asked to dance.” That’s something that sticks with me because Rutgers is such a huge place and I feel it’s important to be that one special person to go and make another feel welcomed.
In Marvin Apartments, I worked with families who had children. I really enjoy working with children and, in the past, I worked at summer camps. Living on campus is their home year-round for most people in Marvin or Johnson Apartments and making it feel like home is truly special.
For my second year as an AA I transferred to the Johnson staff. Throughout the academic year, I have taken on more roles in the department. In addition to presenting during RA/AA trainings, I’m a member of the student staff council and it is pretty neat to help plan the in-services and get feedback while working with our team. I also presented at the Excellence in Student Affairs Conference. That was totally awesome sharing my experience about bringing engagement and inclusivity to the graduate resident experience on campus.
My residents are single graduate students. We can relate to each other as young adults. Since there are quite a lot of residents that came from a different undergrad university, I wanted to be sure they had all the resources of coming to a new university and that they felt engaged as well. I enjoy hosting programs in the Richardson Community Center or in my apartment. It is a great way to bring them together. I like to say everyone has something to bring to the table, we all learn from each other and try new things. When I look around and see my residents happy and smiling, I say to myself, this is what it’s all about.
On other involvement…
I’m involved with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM.) It is the organization’s graduate chapter in my master’s program. In addition, I’m currently a project manager for the Merit Awards Team. Our mission aims at recognizing the faculty and the students for their outstanding work in the chapter. I also just helped run a successful HR Business Conference and it was so nice to see professionals all together. We’re actually having a recognition ceremony dinner for the graduating members.
On other passions and hobbies....
I’m big into photography. My residents and staff know I love taking pictures.I’ll take selfies and fun photos with them. I have a Canon camera that I would like to start using again. I also just got a Fujifilm camera. Can you believe I have 12,637 photos saved in my phone that I have a few years? I absolutely love baking cookies from scratch, I sometimes make several batches a week, they are so yummy! I’m also very close with my family. I like to hang out with my friends. I have a cute little dog and cat too. I like to spend my time by the beach and pool in the summer.
