Read more: Student Highlight: Jama Tighe
With passions for event planning, styling hair, photography, and music, Communication Team Graduate Assistant, Jama Tighe, initially questioned if she even needed to go to college. Tighe found success as a beautician in high school and realized she loved doing hair, and almost went to school for that instead. After some self-reflection, she realized she wanted to challenge herself at an institution of higher learning, chose Ball State, and after switching her major a couple of times landed on Public Relations and Event Planning and discovered a new passion.
“My first semester as a PR major, I loved it. I had Brian Hayes as a professor, and he changed my whole life.”
Even after finding success in her major and being hired at the Digital Corps during undergrad, Tighe recognized she was faced with the same dilemma she had in high school—figuring out what she was going to do with her life. After not feeling ready for the workforce quite yet, she met with her mentor and was introduced to the idea of graduate school at Ball State. Tighe doubts being good enough for graduate school but was eventually inspired to take the leap and apply.
“My mentor was like, ‘I feel like a lot of women doubt themselves ten times more than a man would when wanting to try something new.’ She totally changed my perspective.”
After applying and getting into the Center for Information and Communication Sciences, Tighe admits it has been a journey since then but could not have landed the Graduate Assistant position here at the Digital Corps had she not applied. Working at the Corps, problem solving and figuring out how to work through challenges is what prepares the students for the real world. One challenging project Tighe has worked on since starting her graduate assistant position is the IT Blog. She loved writing and interviewing people for this project, and it ultimately taught her how to be self-sufficient and problem solve.
“I’m a people person, so I always ask other people first if I don’t know how to do something. By myself I watch lot of YouTube videos, read blogs and articles, whatever I can do to figure it out.”
Tighe believes working at the Digital Corps completely changed how she views collaboration. She used to dread working with others but once she started working at the Corps, she knew that everyone would get their work done and collaborate efficiently. Through that, Tighe believes she has learned to see Corps student’s strengths and assign tasks based on that.
Inching closer to obtaining her master’s degree and leaving Ball State, Tighe has accepted a job at RHM Staffing Solutions as a recruiter. Thanks to the Corps and the CICS graduate program, she is confident about joining the workforce and achieving all her future career goals.
