Meet Jayde Grisham
What's your favorite aspect of working with our team?
I'm able to do programming and overlap with other program areas so seamlessly- the silo walls aren't such a big deal here. Our meetings are purposeful and the conversations we have are useful, even if it's completely unrelated to what I'm doing (although it usually isn't). There is open communication and constructive feedback with solid goals and procedures to help us stay focused on the mission and vision.
What's one goal you hope to accomplish with the team this year?
SMART goal: getting to know everyone and what they do (both things they enjoy, things they excel at and things they aren't comfortable with) not SMART goal: making a mental "map" of who works with which community partners and having names and faces to go with it
What motivates you to do your best work every day?
Seeing all of the cool things other people are doing and wanting to be able to do that too (both from teammates and from other universities, community partners, etc)
What's one unique skill or hobby you bring to the team?
Sewing (pattern drafting/dressmaking)
What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone just starting in your field?
No one person has all the answers. Truth (and science) is a collection of stories that work together to create reality. No amount of schooling or book-smarts can make one person's voice represent everyone. Don't succumb to the pressure to be an expert on (what will feel like) everything, and feel the need to give perfect answers every time. Instead, use your platform to amplify a collection of stories and research that can best help others.
If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
Rachel Carson- author of Silent Spring. I would just like to get to know her as a feminist and as an early science communicator who started a movement. I'd want to get her feelings on intersectionality in the early environmental movement.
What's a book or podcast you'd recommend to your teammates?
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
