KOKOMO, Ind. - Sa'Mya Jordan found her place at IU Kokomo as the Women's Basketball Manager and as a Hospitality and Tourism major. She shares her experience about leading from where you are in The Red Chair.
Play the video to hear more of Sa'Mya's story, and don’t forget to like and subscribe if you are looking for more great content.
The Red Chair is randomly placed around the IU Kokomo campus. Anyone walking by is free to sit down, get comfy, and share their experience about IU Kokomo.
Indiana University Kokomo celebrates 75 years as north central Indiana’s choice for higher education.
Description of the video:
Upbeat music plays while we are shown cuts between different students speaking, aerial shots of campus, and close-ups of the red chair.
The screen reads “The Red Chair at Indiana University Kokomo.”
We see Sa’Mya Jordan, the women’s basketball team manager, sitting in the Red Chair on the quad. It’s a sunny, breezy day.
“I sat behind the women’s basketball team, they have to go to a lot of events together, and I saw a coach and asked them if that was their coach, and I just talked and ask if, you know, there were any types of spots open on the team, and she told me that I could be the manager,” Sa’Mya says.
She continues, “I wasn’t too excited about that, but I don’t know, it just looks like water-bottles and laundry to me but it’s so much more than that,” she says. “I lead the women in stretches, things like that, and I feel like they’ve really given me a spot, and a voice and an opportunity, to you know, be myself and lead from where I’m at.”
“Even though I’m not necessarily a coach, I’m not necessarily a player, I definitely feel like I have a spot of authority on the team and I feel like each year, I’ll get a little more leeway the more that I show them what I can do.”
Sa’Mya continues speaking “Now I know the small school situation isn’t the best for everybody, but I feel like this place is perfect for me,” Sa’Mya says. “the professors are just able to just work with you, whether it be office hours or since the classes are smaller it’s much more personable, especially in hospitality and tourism.”
“Mark Mang, he’s the professor I’ve had for all my classes, its more personal, and since it’s a smaller student body a lot of people know each other, I feel like it is definitely a family once you get in and actually know the people, its smooth sailing from there.”
“I’m so happy I chose this school, it’s crazy,” she says. “It wasn’t part of the plan, my plan was to come here for one year and then transfer to a bigger school, and I thought of it as a sort of a business thing, like a transaction. But it ended up being me finding lifelong friends and family and resources, and I really like it here.”
IU Kokomo brand
Indiana University Kokomo, honoring the bicentennial
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