Jordana Terrell ’20 has always loved a good show. Though she arrived at 51 with aspirations of becoming an actress, she quickly found her niche in production, where she could work creatively, while also leveraging her attention to detail and love of organization. During her time at 51, Jordana participated in Rhodes Theater Guild, and worked closely with Dr. Joy Fairfield to learn the ins and outs of stage management.
After a working with the nonprofit Girls Inc., Jordana was recruited via Linkedin for a position that would put her production skills to the test: Branded Entertainment and 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!
Eliana Mabe:
What caught your eye about Rhodes? What got you excited to come here?
Jordana Terrell:
I found out about Rhodes through a good friend of mine. She was participating in an exploratory college program, and when she saw Rhodes, she texted me immediately. She said I had to check it out, so I did, and I immediately fell in love. It felt like just the right amount of intimacy and professor-to-student ratio that I was really looking for.
EM:
What was your experience after you graduated? How do you feel about your Rhodes journey?
JT:
I felt fortunate to be a part of a community that was so supportive. Rhodes 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. It was really important for me. I was the first person in my family to graduate with a four-year degree, so walking across the stage was the closure of my college career. [After graduation], the Rhodes network has helped me find community and thrive in New York City.
EM:
Did you bring any of those lessons you learned in the classroom with you into the workforce?
JT:
The English department has a huge focus on creating good communicators, and more than anything, I have that valued that skill in my career. When you get into the professional world, you're working with people from different backgrounds, and you're all doing very different jobs. I feel confident in my communication skills, and know that I can work effectively with anyone. I think that really speaks to the strength of the liberal arts program.
EM:
After working in development with Girl’s Inc on the local and national levels, what was your next step?
JT:
I knew that I wanted to focus on entertainment and community building. After deciding to make a career change, I worked a few jobs as a Production Assistant and 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 Branded Entertainment and Operations Production assistant. My core group of folks focuses on the operational pieces. So, a lot of the nitty, gritty, like health and safety, and how to get people from Point A to Point B. Those kinds of operational details are where I fall. Specifically, I’m on the uptown and balloon team. I have helped coordinate all of the volunteers that walk underneath the large balloons, and that alone is a program of nineteen hundred people. Ultimately, we make your experience more enjoyable.
EM:
How have your majors of English and Theatre contributed to your work?
JT:
When I got to Rhodes, I knew that I wanted to pursue theater. English was something I was going to do in addition to theater, because I liked writing, but theater was where my heart truly lied. When I first started, I thought I would be an actress, but I came to the realization that my strengths are better utilized in a more behind-the-scenes function. I worked a lot with Dr. Fairfield on stage management roles and learning what that process was like. Then, it was really the Rhodes Theatre 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, and that has consistently led me in the right direction, is that within a level of safety, do the thing that scares you. If you're looking at two options, and one feels like “oh, this is safe, it’s what I should like, I could do it, and I would be fine.” But then you have another option that's like “this is a little bit of a risk, a little scary, but I could rise to the challenge and do it.” Do that one. It's always better. It's always better to push yourself a little bit more, to be challenged a little bit harder, because that experience is going to be new and exciting. It's also going to help you grow into something that you didn't even know you had within you.
Eliana Mabe ’23 is the Rhodes Development Digital Content Intern and a Media studies major with a Theatre and Religious Studies double minor from Colorado Springs, Colorado.