Jasmine Fridman ’25 has a campus job history that exemplifies Wesleyan’s highly interdisciplinary educational mission. She has worked as a Research Assistant in the Earth & Environmental Sciences department with Professor Suzanne O’Connell since her freshman year, working on analyzing high-latitude marine sediments from millions of years ago! She has also worked at Summerfields Cafe (Summies) since her freshman year, in addition to working as a Marketing Assistant in Wesleyan University Press (WesPress), a Venue Manager at the Center for the Arts (CFA), and a Course Assistant (CA) for the classes General Chemistry and Oceans & Climate.
Jasmine is continuing her Wesleyan education through the BA/MA program and will receive a Master of Arts in Earth & Environmental Sciences in 2026.
In what ways has your campus job contributed to your personal, academic, or professional growth and aspirations? What skills have you gained?
I found that instilling connections with members of the Wesleyan community that do not necessarily have to do with your academic journey, still supplements it in a wonderful way. I encourage all students to seek out campus job opportunities during their time at Wesleyan. Working in a dining establishment has enabled me to utilize and hone my customer service skills, while working as a CA has taught me patience, as well as the virtue and value of teaching others. I am also so grateful for the skills that I have gained through working at the Wesleyan Press, which include furthering my creative writing and graphic design skills, and this has contributed to my overall willingness to learn new skills. I have deeply enjoyed working as a CFA Venue Manager, as I am able to meet so many different types of people in the Wesleyan and Middletown community, who all have this common interest to watch a specific music performance or panel discussion that I am working at. The amazing thing that all of these different jobs have in common is that they have forced me to learn new things every time I come in for my shift, which has contributed in an immensely positive way to my academics and have helped shape who I am as a person.
How do you manage to balance your campus job with academic commitments and other activities?
At the beginning of each week, I find it extremely helpful to set aside a few minutes and write my schedule for the upcoming week, making sure that I know what times I am working and where, as well as making sure that I do not have any conflicts with my campus jobs and my courses. Once I am aware of the mandatory commitments that I have, it is then so much easier to factor in time for other extracurricular activities and time to do schoolwork! Having on-campus jobs actually has helped me with my time management skills much more than I had initially thought!
What advice would you give to students who are seeking or starting their campus employment journey?
If you are just starting on your campus employment journey, I highly recommend creating an up-to-date resume, and getting it approved on Handshake. The Gordon Career Center is so helpful with this step! And you can just quick apply {to jobs that require resumes} with your {approved} resume on file. There is also no harm in applying for a TON of job opportunities.
Give your campus job supervisor(s) a shout out – what did you love about their mentorship?
I want to give a shout out to Professor Andrea Roberts in the Chemistry department: her mentorship has been incredible and has been part of the reason why I am so interested in chemistry. Her constant reinforcement of female empowerment in the sciences has made me proud and excited to continue on my journey of being a scientific researcher.
Updated March 7, 2025.
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