For our next edition of our series of Saylor.org staff interviews,  we  spoke with Jenna Dawkins,  one of our awesome Research Assistants.

Hello Jenna.

Hi.

So why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?

Well, I’m Jenna. I’m a 22 year old GW Masters student, and am living and working in the DC Metro Area. I’ve been in the city since late August, but lived in NOVA for 10 years before moving to Pittsburgh. I’m really into music, theater, writing, museums, and other cultural events. In my free time, I’m a member of the City Choir of Washington, and a Glowball team!

Sounds cool, but what on earth is Glowball?

A local sports league! Basically, kickball on the National Mall after dark, with glow sticks. We usually all convene somewhere after the games each week for a flip cup tournament, as well. I’d suggest it to anyone. It’s a great way to make friends, and is a fantastic conversation starter!

Ohh that sounds like fun! Then is Glowball what brought you to the DC Metro Area the second time around?

Well, no, I kinda just jumped on it! But, I graduated from Elon, a small liberal arts University, in May. I had applied to grad school, to give me a direction and place to go! My family is from Pittsburgh, and though I spent the summer there, didn’t think it was the best place for young 20-somethings. So I picked GW, got myself a job, and made the move!

We’re glad you’re here! So how did we come up in your job search?

I was looking for part times jobs that would seamlessly supplement my Masters degree, and would provide me with a lot of flexibility in regards to scheduling, etc. Saylor provided all of that, and the staff is full of people in a similar situation as myself, so it just seemed like an easy and great fit.

Great to hear! We’ve got lots of Research Assistants juggling classes and work. But many of them seem to do good job of it. So what do you do here, at Saylor?

It really depends. I began working on Textbook creation, and now I’m doing a lot of script editing for our course video project, which really puts my English degree to good use! Something I do like about working here is that we are constantly working on different things, so the work stays varied and fresh.

Yep, we’ve got lots of projects going on here. So have any of these courses stuck out in your mind?

I haven’t taken any Saylor courses myself, though the Art History ones really do appeal to me.

Cool. Okay now let’s dive into the fun questions and get to know the real you.

Sure

Okay first, If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

Hard to say! Horses are my favorite animals. I suppose I love how free and independent they are, and those are traits I see in myself and hope to maintain in the future!

Nice, well you’ve definitely been adventurous and independent. Do you see yourself continuing to roam free and travel to other parts of the world or universe? If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

I’ve been to England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, Germany, and France. And Canada, if that counts. But if I could go anywhere I haven’t already been, I’d absolutely say the Trojan ruins, on the coast of Turkey. I’d love to hit up Greece, too. And, randomly, Norway.

Wow, you’ve really traveled all over! I hope that you get to travel to Greece, Turkey and Norway soon!

Thanks, it’s been an exciting ride!

Next up, thus far in your adventures, what’s your proudest life moment?

Probably moving to DC by myself. It really turned me from a kid to an adult. Though I still rely on my parents for some support, I’m doing this grown up thing on my own — and that feels great.

It sounds like you’re really living out your love for independence, no question. Alright and now to bring us all home, do you have any last messages to say to our readers?

Do what you love. As someone who has a Creative Writing degree and am currently working on a Museum Studies degree, I know being “realistic” is something to keep in mind. But honestly, the most important thing about life is finding your own unique mode of self expression. If you aren’t doing that, what’s the point?