From Disney to Nightingale: Meet our Career Services Whiz, Jamila Lowe

Jamila Lowe is our Career Services Whiz, specializing in career-preparation activities. Have a question about a specific job or want to practice a mock interview? Jamila is your gal. With the passion to help others succeed, she has the knowledge–and enthusiasm–that brings life to the College.

What is your position here at the College?
I am both Assistant, Learner Advising and Life Resources and Career Services. Basically I get to be an advocate for the learners. Personally I think I have the best job here! I get to follow each learner throughout their tenure with Nightingale and beyond. I love getting that excited call from graduates when they pass NCLEX or find their dream job! I am seriously the luckiest girl ever!

How long have you been working at the College?
10 Months

What is your favorite part of your job?
Getting to interact with learners specially hearing from them as they graduate, pass NCLEX and find their first job as an RN. Those are the calls that make it all worth it!

Describe Nightingale in 3 words.
Progressive, beneficial, inspirational.

What would be your one piece of advice to nursing students?
Learn as much as you can while you are a student nurse. Seek out opportunities to go beyond self and expand your mind. The beauty of being any kind of student are that opportunities to explore are right at your fingertips. Active learning is a wonderful skill any well rounded person should have, it will benefit and inspire both you and those around you for years to come.

Finish the sentence… When I am not at work, I am… spending time with my wonderful husband or rehearsing, performing or designing costumes for some production or another.

Tell us some fun things about you.
My parents are school teachers and I spent most of my childhood in Kuwait and then Dubai, thus my name Jamila is Arabic. My parents believe strongly believe that a well-rounded education can’t strictly be taught inside the walls of a classroom and so they made sure my brother and I were given every opportunity to experience the world. I have been blessed to visit 38 countries and counting so far in my life time. Each country brings their own unique traditions and culture, all of which have shaped the way I look at the world.

I returned state side most recently my senior year of high school and attended Taylor Andrews Academy of hair design shortly after graduating. I immediately started working in a salon to pay my way through college. Midway during my degree in Psychology I got bored and decided I wanted and adventure. A friend of mine had been looking at Disney Professional Internships so I thought I would just look and see what internships they had that I was qualified for and ran into a Creative Cosmetology Design Internship for Spring 2012 and applied for it not thinking much of it. After a grueling 6-week process (which I found out later for a Disney internship, wasn’t that long to wait.) and 8 interviews later I was offered the internship, that was in late September 2011. 2012 came and I road tripped across America with my cousin. I found out on my first day there that I was the very first Cosmetology Design Intern the Walt Disney Corporation had ever had. It was an amazing experience! I can’t write much about it but I love to answer questions in person. My final project I helped bring to life a spunky little Scottish red head who learned how to be brave. Not only was that an amazing experience I haven’t gotten to the best part, I met my husband there. We just got married last year and it was magical! (See what I did there?)

What else would you like to share about yourself?
My husband surprised me with a puppy for Christmas. She is a Doxie Terrier mix, I call her a dorkie! Her name is Tonks and she is a little ball of energy! She basically looks like a mini version of Max from the Grinch. I love her!

I have two passions, psychology and creative design, therefore I have to amazing careers that keep me balanced. Obviously working at Nightingale College in Learner Advising and Life Resources as well as Career services covers the psychology side of things. I love working with the learners and being the advocate. Watching the learners walk across the stage at the commencement ceremony is the absolute best feeling in the world! They each worked so hard to get there, I am lucky to get to be a part of such a great mission. I also work for The HopeBox Theatre in Kaysville Utah as their main costume and wig designer and at Beverly’s Terrace Plaza Playhouse both with costumes and being in the occasional production. This past year I got back to my roots and designed the costumes for Disney’s Tarzan the musical, this summer I am happy to announce Disney’s The Little Mermaid will be taking the stage at the HopeBox Theatre. The HopeBox Theatre has a great cause, out mission statement reads, “Bringing hope to families who are fighting cancer through the performing arts.” The owner Jan Williams battled cancer several times and after battling her latest round and beating it decided to do what she loved by opening a Community Theatre and giving back to the community. Each show she picks a sponsor and at the end of the run the cast presents the sponsor and their family with the donations they gathered including a part of the proceeds from ticket sales as well as many other personalized gifts including their very own HopeBox. The sponsor then gets to put their name up on our wall of Hope. It is such a great experience to be a part of something so good.