Ask Jordyn (Part 1)

Welcome to a new interview series. Over the next two weeks, we will be talking with Jordyn Ruiz about some post COVID reflections. Hope you enjoy this one. 

Transcripts are provided here. 

__________________________________________________________________________

Tuoyo Eresanara: Hey, Hey, Hey, welcome everybody to the average African kid podcast. This is Tuoyo Eresanara, your host, and today as usual is another beautiful day. And we have a very special episode. A very special guests on here for this one and quite a few episodes. We're going to be splitting this down into chunks where you can get the best out of it.

So with me today, I have one of my best friends. Like I called her one of my CEOs. We worked together in San Antonio and she started some, like, at least two organizations on campus linked with nonprofit organizations. So we're part of the ambassador program together. She is definitely a revolutionary and someone that is the one of the most likable people. Ever, you will ever meet. And someone that inspires me to push myself to be better. So without further ado, let's welcome Jordan Ruiz to the podcast.

Jordyn Ruiz: Hello, everyone.

That was such a sweet introduction. Wow. I'm, I'm moved. Thank you for that. Meeting you is such a blessing. I remember at the season of my life, I was just starting, you know, too, to get into some leadership roles and I needed some guidance and you were definitely someone who was already, operating in a leadership position.

And I kind of look to you, for some tips and tools to put in my toolbox and quickly you became such a good friend. So I thank you for everything you've added to my life, but definitely a godsend sort of connection. I think even to this season of my life like I can still say that. So. Yes. It's been a wonderful journey to this, to this point.

Graduated were both graduated and kind of perspective our own respective and journeys in life. But I'm, I'm so happy to be here. Thank you.

Tuoyo Eresanara: Oh, thank you for coming on to the podcast. And we have been, this is one of those ones that we have been talking about this thing for a while. It has been, oh my goodness.

We're already in September, but it's at least nine months in the making, right? At least. Yeah, yeah. Probably a year. Probably longer. Yeah. Yeah. So,

Jordyn Ruiz: yeah.

Tuoyo Eresanara: Yeah. So let's talk about what have you been up to this whole pandemic what's been happening?

Jordyn Ruiz: Oh, wow. A lot has happened. I think the most prominent thing I can speak on is school which has been a major component.

All these years, I'm 23 years old. So as you can imagine, I've been through the school system. I, you know, I finished my undergrad in may of 2020, and I started a master's program in August of 2020, and I just finished it about three weeks ago. And so I've been giving myself a grace period just to kind of be still to enjoy life a bit.

Not that I wasn't enjoying it before, but in a way that kind of free of some academic stress and just to kind of, I guess, readjust, reorient myself for, you know, we're always in news stories throughout life. And this story I'm in right now is life after school or what's next for me. And I'm kind of defining that for myself right now.

Tuoyo Eresanara: Yes. So for the audience, for those who don't know, so what did you study for your bachelor's and then your masters.

Jordyn Ruiz: Yes. So I was an ambitious freshman and I went in with a pre-medicine concentration for medical humanities, which is a bachelor's of arts. And I minored in chemistry and biology. So I was a very pre-med-oriented individual.

Very, my schedule was so simple to you would not one, I would not want to burden anyone with what I put on myself. Wow.

Tuoyo Eresanara: Wow. Then, so you said you went on to do a master's program. So what did you, what did it entail?

Jordyn Ruiz: So I was already in my senior year and I anticipated, I was going to take a gap year. I was pursuing medical school at the time, and I wanted to keep myself, you know, busy in that time and have something that would be an asset to me in the future.

And I knew. The world revolves around business models. And I wanted to have a working knowledge of what that consisted of in terms of, you know, how these different models, present marketing schemes to you that influenced you and how you can utilize them for your own, maybe businesses in the future. I had many working ideas to like why I wanted to use this degree.

And it changed over time for me. But initially, as I went in because I wanted to do something and my gap year that was beneficial, and regardless of the end outcome, it was. And so it was an accelerated program. It took about a year. And it was, you know, what kept me really busy, I guess, in the last year during this whole pandemic I had some goal structure, you know schedule to kind of work off of that was very helpful in a time that was.

Riddled with chaos and no real and a lot of confusion. And so I, at least I had some sort of structure. Even though it was online, I had something I was working towards and I think it's very important to have at least a few goals in your life. So, yeah, I just graduated with that. But I think one thing to mention is my bachelor's degree and the trajectory of that is very different than what it is now.

I'm now using this master's degree to my benefit because I want I'm in the process of making my own art business. It's a complete 180 to what I originally thought I was going to do. But here I am. We welcome change. We embrace it. It's the only constant I like to say in life.

Tuoyo Eresanara: Oh, wow. That is, that is really nice.

That's really nice. Wow. That's a mouthful. A bachelor's in the pre-medical concentration, a minor in chemistry and biology. Yes. Oh yeah. Wow. Okay. Okay. For those out there as possible.