Hi everyone! My name is Jaleen Bedminster and this will be my first time ever taking a media, sound concept and editing course. I was born and raised on the beautiful island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands until the age of 12. Living there gave me a deep appreciation and connection to the ocean. It also gave me a love of vibrant, close-knit communities where everyone looks out for one another. At 12, I moved to Orlando, Florida, where I completed my schooling and eventually earned my bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems (MIS) from Florida State University (FSU).
Prior to graduating with my MIS degree, I planned to get my bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science, as I was drawn to risk management and the insurance industry. However, over time, I realized that my passion wasn’t in numbers alone. Through meaningful connections and strong networking, I found a new path and I now work as an Office Administrator for the Information Technology Services department at FSU. Before accepting my current position, I considered moving to Rhode Island to work as a Claims Adjuster for an insurance company. However, my heart was still at FSU, where I could further my education without the burden of heavy financial costs with professors that loves what they do!
Currently, I’m in my second semester of the Master’s of Information Technology program at FSU, focusing on Information Architecture and User Design. While I’ve had some hands-on experience with manipulating software to create prototypes, I’m eager to expand my skills in media editing and digital production. This class I feel will challenge me in a great way to aid in my focus of media analysis, production and integrating digital elements like image, sound and video. I hope to use this knowledge to sharpen my creativity skills and produce engaging digital content that compliments me, my career and studies.
In my free time, I enjoy practicing yoga, hot yoga, journaling, meditating, and spending time in nature to ground myself. I also love taking retreats around the world and reconnecting with my deep sense of connectivity, love, and self. Recently, I visited St. Lucia to see my family, where I created new experiences and strengthened my bond with my family. Spending quality time with loved ones brings me so much joy and fulfillment. This is a bit of me, thank you for allowing me to share and I’m looking forward to learning and collaborating with everyone in this class. We’re going to make it a great semester!
Hey Jaleen,
It’s great to meet you! I’m happy you found your true passion in IT, switching from Actuarial Science to IT. That’s such a unique transition, and it’s fantastic that you’ve found your passion in Information Technology. Incredibly, you’re now focusing on Information Architecture and User Design. This class will be a great way to expand your creative skills for future projects!
Also, making time for yoga, meditation, and retreats is a great way to stay grounded and relieve stress. St. Lucia must have been excellent, especially getting to reconnect with family. Godspeed in your endeavors, Jaleen.
Hi Jaleen, thank your for sharing your story! Hearing your appreciation of close-knit communities speaks deeply to me, as I am passionate about building community with one another.
Recognizing your passion lies beyond only numbers is really awesome! This past year I’ve started to get really passionate about data storytelling, and realized it’s much more effective at getting people’s attention than my previous appeals to emotion only had been before. Being able to convey what numbers are saying to advocate for your clients/team/department is a powerful skill, and there’s so much opportunity with those skills!
This class seems like it will provide a lot of good base skills for the areas you mentioned, and I hope we take away some good skills. I look forward to seeing your work!
Hi Jaleen! I loved reading about you! As someone that also decided to stay in Tallahassee for a bit after finishing my bachelors, I share in your passion for this university. It is awesome to hear that you have found where your passion lies. I am also looking forward to learning about how media can enhance my work. Your pictures are lovely, it seems like you have a strong connection to where you came from and the people that make that place special. While I was born here, my mother was born in Havana, Cuba. I have always wanted to visit and see where she came from.
It sounds like we are going to learn a ton in this class. Looking forward to reading your future posts!