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Andy: Welcome to Meadows on the Mic, the official podcast of the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Meadows School of the Arts. I'm your host, Andy Draper, part of the Meadows marketing team and podcaster extraordinaire. On this show, I'll be bringing you in-depth interviews with Meadows faculty, students, and staff, covering everything from events, special guests, and anything else you need to know happening at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Meadows.

On this episode, I interviewed Jamie Lam, a senior journalism major who is also a student worker helping to manage social media for the Meadows marketing team. She originally started her education at a community college in ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ California before transferring to ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Meadows. On the show, we talked about her journey from SoCal to Dallas, her experiences at Meadows, how Dallas has influenced her education, plus her post-graduation plans.

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Andy: Let's get to know Jamie Lam. Jamie, welcome to the show! Thanks so much for coming on!

Jamie: Thank you for having me!

Andy: So, before we jump into our questions, tell me a little bit, how's the semester going? We're a couple of weeks into classes.

Jamie: Oh God, it's been, it's been going, um, it's been really busy for me. It’s my last semester here. I'm really excited to kind of just wrap everything up and get done and graduate. Um, ready to kind of see what, you know, life gives me moving forward.  And I've been really busy. I have, I think I'm taking about six classes right now just at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½. And I'm also doing one lab on top of that for one of my courses, and so it's been a lot, but I've been on top of everything. And then on top of that, I'm also taking, a 3 units nutrition class as well at Dallas college. And so, I do have my hands pretty full, but I think I'm doing pretty well.

Andy: Well, you're keeping really busy in this last semester of yours.

Jamie: I am, I, you know, that was also kind of a, a goal of mine. I think that I just work really well under pressure and with a lot going on and having my hands full.  And I think, um, time management is really important, but I think I've been doing pretty well at that. So, yeah, I'm really excited.

Andy: All right, let's jump into some of our questions here. Give us a little bit of background about yourself. Where are you from? Where'd you grow up?

Jamie: So, actually, I think my life story is kind of long and really interesting, but I actually grew up in Hong Kong. I was born there. I think I moved to California when I was about seven, around seven I think I was about to turn eight at the time. And it was a little bit hard adjusting at first but it also was a really good experience for me, growing up in two completely different countries and so when I had first moved to California I was adjusting you know learning in a completely different language, but it also did help that when I was in Hong Kong I actually went to a private international school which taught in British English. And s,o I was actually able to, you know, adjust to the language barrier as far as, you know, schooling goes pretty easily but then I think there are a lot of just cultural differences that I had to really get used to.  I loved it in California. I stayed there until I was, I think this was 2022 I had moved over here, because my parents actually ended up buying a house out here, and my whole family had moved over to Dallas area. And I ended up having some health issues back then and had to have surgery and everything so I ended up moving to Dallas because my parents were here and I had to recover and everything. And at first, I really didn't think that it was going to be a long term thing I really didn't think I was going to stay in Dallas for very long I always thought that, you know, I love California I love the beach I love the mountains there I love the weather and all my friends were there and so, you know, at the time it was such a detrimental time for me in college. I was going to transfer to UCLA I wanted to, you know, go into the medical field and everything I had all my plans out and I think that, you know, it was really important for me at the time to stay flexible and willing to kind of accommodate for my own health and for my own. Yeah, just for my own future. And so, I ended up moving here and then I ended up touring ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ and I loved it and so that's kind of how I ended up in Dallas.

Andy: Wow, that's quite a story. So you did a couple of years of community college in California. When you moved to Dallas, you had a lot of choice in schools. And so what drew you to Meadows?

Jamie: Yeah, I actually, I also had gone to a private school, high school in California as well. And so I think a lot of the times they feed a lot of students into private universities as well. And so obviously I've looked into other universities, like I heard about TCU and then there was ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ and then I heard about Baylor as well. I know a lot of my friends ended up going to Baylor straight out of high school.  And then I also considered some of the private schools in California as well. But ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ specifically, I think that what honestly really drew me in was how pretty the campus was. And I really wasn't expecting it. One, it was close to home. So that was a huge plus. And two, I just felt like it was enough of a distance for me to kind of get my four year college experience. Yeah, it was enough of a distance for me to kind of like start my life on my own, but then also be able to go home whenever I wanted to on weekends. And so I was also really drawn into the small class sizes, of course, because obviously in high school, my classes were really small and I'm really used to that kind of learning environment and more of like an intimate space and intimate community. And so, I think that on top of that, on top of how nice the campus is, I also really appreciated the small class sizes and being able to get to know my professors on a more personal level and walking into class and having my professor greet me by my name, I think is something that I really liked about ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½.

Andy: And what drew you to the journalism program specifically?

Jamie: Um, so I, like I mentioned before, I was actually a biology major for about half of my college career. And I thought that that was really what I was set on doing.  I really wanted to be some sort of physician and, um, I actually transferred into ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ and I was a biology major for about a few weeks. And, um, actually my best friend at the time, Elizabeth, well, my best friend now is still Elizabeth Guevara. She actually just graduated last semester or no, two semesters ago last year. And so, she was also my roommate at one point and I was kind of talking to her about what she would do on a day to day. And I loved, you know, listening to her talk about how she has interviews and how she's meeting all these people. And she has to do this profile for one of her classes. And I thought that it was just so interesting. And, I also really, I think I've always been very creative and as a child, I loved writing. That was kind of the courses that I excelled in the most. And it was always easiest for me, but I never really thought that I could do that for a career for some reason. I think also, cause it's probably just a cultural thing as well, where I was kind of always pushed to go into a certain direction to go into STEM. Um, and I think that, you know, as I got older, I kind of realized like, it's really important in college to kind of see where you want to go on your own and not listen to, you know, all these other different inputs and whatnot. And I think that that's kind of what drew me to Meadows was being able to one realize I can make my own decisions and pursue something that I would love to do and to see if, you know, I want to continue using that creativity in my career.

Andy: So, what has your experience at Meadows been like for the last couple of years?

Jamie: It's been great, honestly. I mean, it's been such a change. I think I had to really adjust to it because again, I was so used to being a STEM major that it, I think that both majors operate so differently. Like obviously in STEM, it was a lot of just like labs and science and it was, it wasn't as collaborative. I think everyone kind of just puts their head down and we're just so busy all the time that it's always just like, okay, we have to get all these assignments done. And it was, it was just always go, go, go.  And I think that it was a really nice change to go into journalism because one, not only was I just naturally, I think better at writing compared to science, but two, it was a lot more project-based and I was able to work with a lot of my classmates as well. And I think that that really helped. I love, I love the environment and I love all the professors at Meadows. I have been able to get to know a lot of them and I really appreciate that again, when I walk into a classroom, they'll greet me by my name and they kind of, they know me and my story. And so I've had a great experience at Meadows and obviously working at the marketing department as an intern has really helped, helps me kind of get connected to a lot of people in the major as well. And so I'd say that I've had a really easy and a really fun time at Meadows.

Andy: Speaking of classes, what are some of your favorite courses or professors or things that kind of stand out?

Jamie: Something that really stands out to me was, it was John May's design class that I had taken last semester. It was a night class, but honestly, I thought that it was going to be really, really annoying to get to and that I didn't, I wouldn't want to go and, you know, whatnot, but I actually ended up loving that class.  I've never worked in Photoshop or Adobe, both prior to that. I mean, I think I've kind of dabbled in Lightroom a little bit, but it was always just for fun. And I think that being able to use, Illustrator and Photoshop and all of that was really interesting to me. We were actually able to, at the end of the course, come up with our own personal brand and actually come up with our own logos. So, I ended up making a really cool pattern with my initials and I was able to, um, transfer that into like a water bottle design. I was able to design a tote bag and, you know, a dress. And I really appreciated that class. I felt like it really surprised me. I think that's why it stands out to me is because I never thought that, you know, I would, I would like working in Adobe like that, just because I'm obviously a journalism major. So I focus a lot of writing and reporting and interviewing. And so, yeah, I really appreciated that class. I think it gave me a new perspective.

Andy: Right, it's a lot like building your own brand or being able to do that sort of thing.

Jamie: Yes, I really, really enjoyed that class. I think that I, I think I really enjoyed it because I was able to be a lot more creative. And last semester I was taking a lot more of like the logistics basic courses that you'd need for your major. And I think that was kind of the one elective that I got to choose on my own. And so, I'm really glad that I went down the design path. And then on the other hand, I also really liked my news reporting class. I know that for a lot of people that class is kind of a drag to get through, but I actually really enjoyed it. I actually last semester was the first semester that I'd ever written a story and gotten it published. And I was able to do a profile in that class and meet a really, really nice influencer in Dallas. And I was able to write a story about her and actually even get it published onto the daily campus. And so, yeah, I think my news recording class was something that I also really appreciated.

Andy: Right. And that's developing like real world application of actually doing the research, interviewing, and then publishing a story like that.

Jamie: Yeah, I think it's also very, it's also very useful. I think that class specifically was very useful for me because I was able to kind of get to know, like you said, the real world deadlines as well. And it was always like, okay, you have to have your pitch by this time. You have to have this written and published by this time. You have to put in photos by this time. And so I really appreciated that.  I think that because that was my first kind of taste of real journalism and writing, and it was really interesting to me. And my professor, also Nevins, Professor Nevins had very good instruction on what she wanted us to. She was always really clear. She had very clear expectations. And so, I think that it was, yeah, it was really, it was really fun for me and very useful class.

Andy: So, you mentioned you're working with Meadows social media in the market as a marketing intern or social media intern. Can you tell us a little bit about that job and what you're doing in that role?

Jamie: Yeah, so I actually started working there, I think a little over a year ago now, and my supervisor, Kristin, has been really sweet with getting us, Jess and I, my coworker, acclimated with the job. So I think on a day-to-day, we kind of just obviously made content for the social media platform, so we actually run the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Meadows Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, X, basically all of that, and we kind of oversee everything.  So I will more so work on the creative end, which is also a big reason why I love the job so much, because I'm able to plan the content, I'm able to look out for some of the social media trends that are going on right now, and apply that to our social media, and cater that toward our student body, or for whoever maybe is potentially looking into joining Meadows. And so that's what I do on a day-to-day, I kind of just plan content, create content, or go alongside Jess and Christian to tailor the content and edit, and caption things in AP style. Yeah, and so I think every week, once a week, we'll sit down and we'll kind of talk about the current trends that are going on, we'll talk about what we want to do for the next two weeks, and we plan ahead, and basically every week, we're kind of just executing all those videos and getting them out and posted by a certain deadline.

Andy: It's really interesting with social media because there's such a change or changes or regulations that that as opposed to web, the social media tends to change much more rapidly and constantly where just different formats or trends or we know that TikTok was facing the band recently. So, it you really kind of have to stay on your toes and be really informed on the platforms.

Jamie: Yeah, so that's something that I actually think is really fun. I really appreciate just seeing social media evolve within the last two years.  I think it's really interesting also in classes where we'll connect to social media and kind of have discussions about what we think about AI, what we think about the TikTok ban and stuff like that. And it really just, I think everything just intertwines and connects with my job as well. And so, for example, when TikTok had gone down, it was over the break and when we came back, it was like, okay, like we kind of have to figure out what we want to do. Like, how are we going to cater these videos? Where are we going to post them? And so, because of that, we had to really quickly switch gears and go straight into posting more on Instagram and folks kissing our content on Reels instead of TikTok. And obviously there are two very different, different yet similar demographics. And so we have to tailor very specific things in order for those videos to do well on Instagram. And then on top of that, now we're kind of trying to develop YouTube shorts and putting our videos on there as well and catering toward that demographic. And so, yeah, it's been really interesting to see how much and how quickly social media has evolved.

Andy: Right. There's been radical changes even in the last six months, last two years.  And especially if you look back even further, you know, three years, four years, five years, it's, it's a completely different landscape. So it's always changing and really keeps you on your toes.

Jamie: Yeah, I think that's something that's really good also for, you know, being in the major, we talk a lot about social media because a lot of people again are in design or their marketing majors or minors in my courses. And so it's kind of It's really nice that some of these courses tailored to marketing and social media and journalism and design And film and audio and whatnot.  And so I really appreciate that.

Andy: So, you mentioned earlier that you part of the reason you went to Meadows is that you'd be able to stay close to family. And so I wanted to ask how the city of Dallas has influenced your time at Meadows and your education overall.

Jamie: I'd say that it's helped. I think that Dallas is also a lot more intimate of a city than let's say LA or I mean, even where I grew up more inland in ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ California. And I think that here, especially at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, everyone knows everyone and I really appreciate the community that we have and how easy it is to network and make connections.  As far as how it's influenced my friendships, I'd say as far as Hangout goes, there are a lot of new bars and a lot of new restaurants all the time. And I think that so many different businesses are moving here, especially different restaurants. And so I love how we're able to kind of explore and we're able to just go to the farmer's market for fun on a weekend. And so, yeah, I think that Dallas is a great place to make connections and it's a great place to have friendships and there's so much to do here. And yeah.

Andy: How has the journalism landscape in Dallas influenced you or has it?

Jamie: Specifically me, I'd say that it hasn't yet, just because I guess we might talk about this later, but because of my post grad plans, but I do know that I've seen it, you know, with my other friends in their careers and their graduation and their time at, at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, where they were able to make so many connections in Dallas and I know that so many of our professors have connections or have worked in, let's say at the Dallas morning news. And so, also such a large reason why I had gone into the major was because again, my friend Elizabeth had actually gotten an internship at the Dallas morning news and she was able to get her stories published and on print too.  And I thought that it was so cool, and so, yeah, I know that professors here can definitely get, you know, can, at least give a lot of, I guess, connections and give a lot of input into future jobs and future opportunities in journalism. I know they have a lot of connections.

Andy: So, you've been here a couple of years, you're graduating this semester, what advice would you have for incoming Meadow’s students?

Jamie: It's really important for, I think it's really important for students to be able to stay flexible in college and to choose their own paths in college. I think that for so long, I was so stuck on a certain career and to the point where I didn't really even know where I wanted to go with my life and what I wanted to do. And it was always a battle between like, okay, I am really creative. I know that I'm inherently just naturally good at writing. And on the other hand, I'm also good at STEM. And that's also something that might pay more or be more stable. And then my parents would tell me, they would kind of push me to go a certain direction. And I think that advice I would give is for students to kind of be flexible and to develop their own thinking and develop their own, I guess, skill set that they want.  And I think college is such a detrimental time for students. And I wish that I would have taken some time prior to college to think about what I wanted to do and what would keep me fulfilled so that I wouldn't have to go and waste years or put in years into a career that I don't really want and that I knew that I didn't want, but I was kind of trying to force at the time. And so, yeah, I think advice would just be obviously independent thinking and also obviously staying on top of deadlines and getting involved with the major that you're in, especially in Meadows, because it is so easy to have connections in Meadows. Everyone is so outgoing and they're always willing to help, whether it's like a classmate or it's a professor or an advisor, they're always so welcoming in the major. And so I'd say to put yourself out there, obviously, if we're going into journalism or fashion media or, yeah, mainly journalism and fashion media, you'll have to do a lot of talking and interviewing and getting yourself out there. And maybe sometimes you've been cold emailing people for a profile, which is what I had to do.

But I'd say, you know, I'm more so I'm always a more reserved person I've always been this way but I think that being in the major has taught me so many skills on you know how to talk to people and how to start a conversation and how to even go about asking them you know personal questions. So, I'd say put yourself out there because you only ever get one chance in college and I think that it's really important to take that opportunity.

Andy: Right, it's incredible how that kind of basic and what we refer to as soft skills are just as important and that those need to be developed alongside the skills you're developing through your major.

Jamie: Yeah, they're so important. I mean, and I think that these skills are, are applicable to anything that you want to do. Like obviously this doesn't just apply to, you know, majors in Meadows. Like this applies just in life. You know, you could work a nine to five job. You can work at, I don't know, McDonald's and you would still need those skills. You would still need to be able to speak to people and relate to people and, and, um, be personable. And so I think that all of those soft skills that I've learned at Meadows have, has helped me so much. Um, even in interviews, you know, job interviews in literally any area, I am always so much more confident going into interviews now because I'm so used to being the one that's interviewing. And so, yeah, I'd say those skills are really important. I completely agree.

Andy: So, you're in your last semester. Graduation is just around the corner.  What are your post graduation plans? Are you going into the workforce? Are you going to be pursuing another degree, a graduate degree maybe? Tell us what's on the horizon.

Jamie: Yeah, I'm really excited to graduate. I have a lot of plans moving forward.  I definitely want to move back to California. I think that as much as I love Dallas, California always has a special place in my heart. I miss the beach so much. But post-grad, I am actually planning on applying to accelerated nursing programs. I think that as much as I love writing and I love creativity, I also really miss helping others hands-on and I miss working in a hospital. I've worked in hospitals since I was 16 and I always think about going back. And so I'm actually, in the next few months, I'll be applying to accelerated programs out there. And so accelerated programs typically only take about like 15 months, so a little over a year. And so by the end of that, I will have my second bachelor's in nursing. And so hopefully that all goes well, but I'm really glad that again, like I mentioned earlier, those soft skills that I've learned in journalism have really helped me even in nursing and moving forward and working in hospitals.

Andy: So that was actually going to be my follow up question. That's a big shift to go into the medical field from journalism. And so my question is how has that degree and those classes and those skills, how do you think that's going to transfer into this different career?

Jamie: Well, one, I think that so much of nursing is bedside manners. And I think that, you know, being able to talk to people and relate to people when they're in such vulnerable times and scary times is so important.  And I think that if you're not able to talk to people, which these are skills that I've obviously learned in the department, um, but if you're not able to talk to people, you really can't help as much as, you know, you don't, you can't help them as much as you, you would be able to if you did have those soft skills. And so, I think that being able to relate and have a conversation with people, especially in nursing is so important.

I remember when I was in the hospital, really the only thing that I took away from that experience was the nurses and how the nurses were able to communicate with me and make me feel safe and in that environment. And so, yeah, that's definitely something that I'll be, that I'll be taking away with me.

Andy: Well, Jamie, thank you so much for coming on to the show. You have a fascinating story that I hope will kind of help a lot of people and just kind of influence their their decision if they come here.  Thank you so much.

Jamie: Of course! Thank you so much.

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Andy: Thank you for tuning in to Meadows on the Mic, and a big thank you to Jamie Lam for coming on to the show. You can see her efforts on all the Meadows social media channels, and if you're interested in learning more about the division of journalism, please find us online at . This podcast is brought to you by the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Meadows Marketing Department, and is available on all major podcast platforms. For questions and comments, email us at , and follow us on socials at smu meadows on all major social media channels. Thank you for tuning in to Meadows on the Mic.