UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State student Jadyn’s Stuart’s college journey concluded with summer commencement exercises on Aug. 10. When she crossed the stage after four years with two degrees — a bachelor’s in advertising/public relations and a master’s in media studies — it was the culmination of a lot of hard work and focus.
Stuart, a Bunton-Waller Scholar from Philadelphia, was busy almost the first moment she stepped foot on the University Park campus.
“It was a lot of work, especially being at a school where there’s so much spirit that you want to be a part of everything and do as much as you can,” she said. “For me it was more of a mental thing. I was able to get involved but I did my undergraduate work in the first three years and used my last year to get my master’s degree.”
Stuart completed her work as part of the University’s Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate Program, which allows students to complete both degrees in one program. She also added a minor in digital media trends and analytics and a project management certificate.
Stuart was driven and focused on her classwork but also found time for valuable co-curricular work. She was a co-founder of “Culture Central,” a student organization and student-produced show of the same name on PSN-TV that earned 15 student-voted awards in recent years, and served as vice president of marketing and public relations for The Lion 90.7. She worked as a social media strategist for CommAgency and was director of member relations for Reach, a student organization focused on growing and supporting social media groups.
All those things helped her establish a community on campus and adapt, making campus feel like home despite central Pennsylvania feeling much different from Philadelphia where she grew up with strong support from her mother, Renatta James, and grandmother, Angela James.
Stuart calmly conquered during her Penn State career.
Sure, the academics were a consistent challenge, and the complementary activities added a degree of difficulty that seemingly helps all standout students in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications thrive, but she was generally even-keeled during the whole experience, she said.
Even now, just days after becoming an alumna, on the verge of moving while weighing her career options, she’s taking a matter-of-fact approach to all the change and uncertainty.
“That’s definitely how I got it done — just keeping my composure,” she said. “Thanks to Penn State now I feel like I’m on the verge of seeing my fullest potential. I feel like I'm on the brink of seeing what else I can do.”
For Gary Abdullah, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion in the Bellisario College, it’ll be fun to watch what Stuart calmly conquers next. He played a big role in her choosing to attend Penn State and he said her impact will be felt by many students that follow.
“She’s highly talented and determined. She could’ve graduated early but she took the time to do even more here, and now it’s just a matter of which skillset she chooses to apply,” Abdullah said. “She can be great in front of the camera, and she has a business mindset to thrive behind the camera. She’ll be great at whatever she decides to do.
“Plus, she’s had a great support system in her mother and grandmother, and I think their impact was reflected in how Jadyn became a leader of people here. She helped establish things, like ‘Culture Central,’ that will have a long legacy here.”
Stuart, confident herself thanks to the education and opportunities she earned at Penn State, anticipates as career in entertainment and media production, most likely in one of the typical U.S. hubs for that kind of work — Los Angeles or New York.
At the same time, Stuart has proven she can make an impact anywhere, so her calm approach to conquering a career could be based just about anywhere and start soon.