Alumna Jay Josmar, a lawyer, researcher, and policy analyst, visited the University on Wednesday Nov. 16. Josmar spoke with students about her global career that began with the guidance she received from the political science department at an event hosted by Students Advocating Girls’ Education and the Political Science Club.
In an informal conversation that took place with a handful of students, Josmar took students on the journey that is her life. Her global career started at Monmouth. She said she was a distracted student who could often be found filing her nails in class dressed in her pajamas. However, she very creatively found ways of keeping up in school.
Outside of the classroom, Josmar used her personality to network with faculty. She recalled walking confidently into the office of Dr. Rehka Datta’s, a professor of political science and sociology. She approached Datta as a freshman and asked her to mentor her.
Datta was excited for Josmars visit, she said, “As a professor, hearing and seeing former students is always a delight. It has been more than a decade since I had Josmar in class as a political science major. Seeing her grow as a person, become a successful lawyer and build a global career is a humbling moment for me. There are few things in life as rewarding as seeing a student succeed.”
From her undergraduate career onward, Josmar stressed the importance of networking. She said she introduced herself to other people because relationships moved her forward.
Josmar’s also discussed her experience taking a semester at sea. That caught the attention of Katharine Dix a junior political science student. Since she will be departing in the spring herself, she was overjoyed to be hearing another Monmouth student’s story about embarking on the journey. Dix said, “I definitely enjoyed meeting Jay and getting to hear her speak. For me, it was great hearing from someone who has gone to Monmouth and Semester at Sea, and who majored in political science.”
I’m leaving for my Semester at Sea in January and there are a lot of logistics that go with it so to hear from someone that was in a very similar situation to me was incredibly encouraging.”
Moving from her time at Monmouth, Josmar used her connections from her very strong networking skills to propel her forward. During the talk, she discussed her experiences at the Department of Defense, Boston College of Law, British House of Commons, and an international law firm.
Interestingly enough, when asked what her favorite occupation was she said it was an adjunct professor. During her time at the Department of Defense, a mentor gave her the advice to do something outside of the forty hours that she was working. So, she began working at a local community college. Josmar used her time there to teach student’s practical, and academic skills.
Angela Ryan, a senior political science student looked fondly at the experience of meeting Josmar. She said, “I completely loved meeting Josmar. She is such a beautiful soul and to hear all her accomplishments after Monmouth is such an inspiration. She is an amazing and confident person and to hear her speak Monmouth at Monmouth is something I will never forget. She passed on a lot of wisdom and advice to all the students there.”
IMAGE COURTESY of Rekha Datta
