Hi, I’m Jessica!
I grew up in Broomfield, Colorado and have enjoyed spending my time exploring all Colorado has to offer. I attended the University of Colorado Boulder and graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Communication and two minors in both Business and Leadership Studies in 2016. During my college years, I worked as a Resident Advisor and eventually defended a thesis that sought to understand how Resident Advisors enact their training on the job. In particular, I examined how Resident Advisors utilize their training to have difficult conversations with residents on social justice topics and concerns.
I decided to pursue a career in Training & Development after an internship with the Professional Development Resources Team at Janus Capital Group in Denver, Colorado. I enjoy and embrace the challenge of designing training that is visually appealing and engaging.
My training philosophy is rather simple. It’s easy to become overwhelmed on the job without effective training. I’m a firm believer that designing a training well, both visually and instructionally, will help capture and maintain the audience’s attention. Taking frequent, but crucial, activity breaks will allow instructors to gauge training transfer throughout the duration of the lesson. Nothing is worse than wrapping up a course only to realize your participants are still unclear of a core principal or objective. Not only do activities allow for more engagement from participants, but they also create an open environment and provide an opportunity for intentional dialogue. Intentionality is key. Every activity, objective, and material should be designed in a way that is conducive for learning.
I am currently enrolled at CU Denver and pursuing a Master’s in Learning Design and Technology with an emphasis in Instructional Design and Adult Learning. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, running, reading, and exploring National Parks.