Staff Spotlight: Jaime Dunn

The Career Services office is located on the first floor of one of our oldest upperclassmen dorms, Pinkney. Jaime Dunn spends her 9-5 work day either meeting students in her office, planning career events, planning events with Alumni, or as an Associate Faculty Member in communication with tutors. 

Where were you before coming to St. John’s and what led you here? 

Jaime completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish and during her time in college she enjoyed student leader positions. She said she ‘lucked out’ with her first job in the Admissions Office when she attended college and realised that she really enjoyed this as a profession. She tried it and it worked out, leading her to pursue a masters and Ph.D in Higher Education Administration, a profession and career she grew to enjoy so much! For a few years before St. John’s, Jaime worked as a Graduate Assistant in Financial Aid, in Law School Admissions, and at the College of William and Mary’s law school in Virginia as the Assistant Dean. Jaime’s husband works at the Naval Academy and luckily, she then moved to work in the Washington DC office of the same college. 

Do you currently reside in Annapolis? Where did you grow up? 

Jaime was born in Virginia and her Dad and brother graduated from the Naval Academy. She has always known Annapolis, went to preschool here and has enjoyed working and living here  as an adult. Jaime found her commute at her previous work place to be a lot and as a result she targeted St. John’s. She now lives 5 mins away from campus. 

How would you describe a day in the Career Services Office? 

Everyday is different and the range and richness of the position is one of the reasons she loves her job. For those readers who may not be aware, Jaime has worked at St. John’s for 10 years now and is as devoted to our college as many of our tutors! She is either working with Alumni and planning events such as the Hodson Internship Luncheon for students and the Pathways meetings. Another of her roles as an Associate Faculty Member, bridges a gap between faculty and staff at the college. She contributes in many ways and works with everyone, students, faculty, and alumni. Her most memorable takeaways have been her relationships she has developed with Alumni. She described them as loyal and she has corresponded with a lot of the same people over the years. Jaime also loves watching the awe on parents’ faces during Parents Weekend, loves observing Alumni and current student conversations when Alumni return, and is always fascinated by all the different places and fields that the Hodson Internship takes students too. 

What helps you stay organized? Any advice for the students? 

As a list maker and someone with a lot of events to plan and student careers to support, Jaime needs to keep in mind both the broader picture and her daily goals. She uses her calendar to track and plan her to-do’s but what she has learned over the years is that the busier you are, the more organised you tend to be. She encourages students to remain engaged on campus, be part of clubs, events, and extracurriculars alongside academics, and has noticed that having more to do can keep us from procrastinating. 

What would you say are the most crucial steps that may decide a student’s career? What have been your most important years? 

“The things students are doing now-going out and trying internships. Any job has transferable skills. We learn to work with deadlines, people, and different pressures so keep trying different things out. Be intentional about your time away from St. John’s and pay attention to what you enjoy.” Jaime’s own career path was very different from her Psychology and Spanish undergraduate degree and she advises students to have faith that we can always change our course. “Students tend to put pressure on themselves but the thing you do right after college won’t likely be something you’ll do 10-20 years later and that’s fine.” In keeping Jaime’s encouragement in mind, as Johnnies, we have opened many more career paths for ourselves, and instead of worrying, we should just try out the next job or internship we are offered! 

What do you do for fun?

Jaime spends a lot of time with her family and her two daughters. Her husband is from California and they love to travel and have visited Ireland together. They spend a lot of time in their second home situated in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and since their lives are scheduled down to the minute, they visit NC with plans to do a lot of nothing!