Jowana “Jojo” George, 19, a college student at Devry University, found out about Youth Radio in 2009 through a family member. She started in Youth Radio’s introductory class, Core. After graduating from Core she joined Bridge where she focused on journalism.
George began her job experience in Youth Radio’s Health Department where she blogged about different recipes for Youth Radio Eats, a program dedicated to promoting healthy eating and active living to youth participants. She assisted in producing videos around healthy eating and active living and cooking Friday dinners with her peers. This experience helped George discover that she was pretty good at making sauces, and soon she was given the French nickname “the saucier.” After completing her first Youth Radio internship she took some time off to concentrate on school and volleyball. She then returned as a high school graduate and became a senior intern for HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living) in the Health Department.
In a short amount of time, George expanded her skill set and gained leadership skills. She is now part of the New Options Project (NOP) as a youth expert. The New Options Project is an national initiative dedicated to finding different ways to connect high school drop outs or out-of-work young adults between the ages of 16-24 to future career paths. Here she provides feedback to NOP on strategies to reconnect young adults to opportunity. Through her varied experiences at Youth Radio, George was able to hone her professionalism, manage her time effectively, and sharpen her written and oral communication skills. She also developed proficiency in Final Cut Pro and other software taught through Youth Radio’s media education programs.
George will soon graduate from Devry University with a Bachelors Degree in Science. She would like to work with the Texas Justice System as a youth correctional officer. Until then, George continues to grow with Youth Radio. “My head wouldn’t be so strong on my shoulders, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without Youth Radio,” she said.
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