The CDO Welcomes Jazz Glastra '11

by Matt Mandel '19

Jazz Glastra ’11 returned to the Hill this summer as the Career Development Office’s (CDO) newest staff member in her role as an Assistant Director.

Glastra, who grew up in Washington state, wanted to be an architect when she was a kid. But when she first arrived at Kenyon, she fell in love with religious studies. When not taking classes in her major or in environmental studies, she could be found down at the rugby pitch or wandering the trails of the BFEC.

Her passion for the environment began to spread beyond the classroom, as she became a part of People Endorsing Agrarian Sustainability (PEAS); an organization that was recently absorbed by The Kenyon Farm and ECO. After college, she moved to Milwaukee for three years, where she brought her skills and passion for the environment and sustainable food systems to her work life.

She began as an intern at the Victory Garden Initiative in Milwaukee, where she was soon promoted to a program manager. Eventually, wanting to continue her studies, Glastra moved back to Columbus to pursue a Master of Science degree in Environmental and Natural Resources with a specialization in Rural Sociology at The Ohio State University (OSU). While at OSU, she also served as a Teaching Associate and interned for the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association as their policy intern for a summer.

She eventually became the Executive Director for the Canal Market District and Enterprise Hub in Newark, Ohio — building both community and the local economy through farmers’ markets and related programming. While at the Canal Market District, Glastra found that the common thread throughout her career was “a focus on helping people and a general commitment to making the world a better place.”

When Glastra saw this position at Kenyon come open, she jumped on it. She thought about the different faces of sustainability, and how supporting people in identifying their potential futures would rely heavily on the kind of work she did with local producers— helping people understand what is important to them, and what steps they can take to make their goals become reality.

“Because I had been working in the food movement for a long time, I was ready to expand my definition of my career," Glastra said. “A lot of it was focused on food, but the actual content of my work had more to do with building relationships, and organizing communities, and planning events.”

She also thought about how she enjoyed helping her interns and staff think through their career paths in the past, and knew it would be a great fit. With approximately 40 percent of Kenyon graduates working at nonprofits, Glastra hopes to contribute her knowledge and expertise in nonprofit management.
“I love this community, it has given so much to me,” Glastra said. “So the opportunity to give back is exciting, but it fit in with what I was thinking already, and I also already lived in the area, so it could not have been a better match for me.”

While applying for this position, Glastra took the chance to reflect on how her Kenyon education brought her back to the same Hill she once called home.

“When I started as a student at Kenyon, I had no idea what I wanted to do in my career, so I just followed my passions,” Glastra said. “I’ve kept following them into the nonprofit sector, through grad school, and now in my new role here at Kenyon. I think my experiences show that while our career paths are not always linear, a Kenyon education can help you pursue new interests and adapt to changing opportunities. My own professional life has been incredibly rewarding, and I am excited to help the next generation of Kenyon students as they find their own versions of work worth doing.”

In her position, Glastra will be primarily meeting with students to provide guidance in considering work experiences as an extension of their Kenyon education, in exploring career options, and in planning for life post graduation. She will also be working with faculty, offering helpful classroom workshops, such as presenting on career options in a particular major or bringing alumni to campus to speak with students.

Glastra has enjoyed reconnecting with professors she took classes with about 10 years ago. To her surprise, many faculty members have remembered Glastra, even a few she took classes with as a first-year. “Kenyon faculty seem to have incredible memories,” she said.

Glastra is excited both to be a full-time member of the Kenyon community again, and also to be a part of the CDO.

“The Career Development Office works so well as a team, everybody is really supportive and wants to help each other,” she said. “It’s a great environment to be a part of.”