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Student Profile: Jamie Herring, Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service with Concentration in Jewish Non-Profit Management
“I have always known that I wanted to be a Jewish communal professional,” says Jamie Herring, 25, and graduate student at Philadelphia-based Gratz College. “At a very young age, I felt a dire need to create Jewish continuity amongst my cohorts. Since then, that need has only grown stronger.” To jumpstart her career, Jamie is studying for the on campus Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service with a concentration in Nonprofit Management, while also working full time at the Jewish Employment Vocational Service in Philadelphia. Jamie has accelerated her graduate studies through a combination of distance learning courses through Gratz Online and on-campus courses. “At first, I was a little apprehensive that classes online would not be as intellectually stimulating as I was hoping for, but I was immediately pleasantly surprised,” says Jamie. “The classes were not only interesting and informative, but convenient to my full-time workload.” Jamie’s choice of a flexible path to an M.A. degree continues the steady course that she began as a teenager in Vineland, New Jersey. Raised with a strong sense of Jewish identity, she actively sought out – and even created -- Jewish education and programming not available in this rural, southern NJ community. After her bat mitzvah, Jamie created the BBYO Chapter, “Pazazta” [Hebrew: Hit the deck.] where she served as president for four years. Throughout high school, she traveled 40 miles each way every Tuesday night to Cherry Hill, New Jersey for advanced Jewish studies. Given her track record, it was only natural that Jamie volunteered 100 hours per semester to nonprofit organizations during her undergraduate years at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. – and her first experience living among a large Jewish population. As a college junior and senior, Jamie solidified her career path as an intern at the DCJCC. “There, I immediately fell in love with Jewish communal work,” she says. As an intern, she wrote grants for Theater J and developed a marketing campaign for the. Community Service Department’s Annual December 25th Day of Service. After graduation with a degree in human services and sociology, Jamie worked full time as Director of Adult Programs at the DCJCC for three years. “This experience was essential to my success in this field. The first-hand experience that I gained from the wonderful opportunities I had at the DCJCC prepared me for working in the Jewish community.” Upon relocating to Philadelphia and a position at the Jewish Employment Vocational Service, Jamie immediately chose Gratz College for graduate studies. “After lots of research, I felt that Gratz was a perfect fit,” she says. Jamie began as a non-matriculated student, taking two classes through Gratz Online, before formally applying for the M.A. program. “Thus far, this program has been a perfect supplement to my current position,” she says. “I regularly utilize the skills that I am learning within my day-to-day tasks, and I know that it will be beneficial to my future success in this field. “ As Executive Assistant to the CEO at JEVS Human Services, Jamie supports the Board Development Committee, handling board development responsibilities including programming, recruitment and the internal Web site. “The most rewarding aspect is being able to see first hand the difference that we are making in the community, and having the opportunity to share this excitement with new board members,” she says. For Jamie, the Jewish communal service career was definitely the right choice. “I would absolutely recommend this type of work to others; I love my job! Knowing the importance of what I do, I have nothing but excitement for the future, and my place within the Jewish communal services profession.” |
Residence: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania