Her Story
About Janae
I serve as a legislative aide for the Ohio House of Representatives, a position I've held for a year and a half. In this role, I do all the communications work, including writing, podcasting, and press releases. I recently stepped down as Director of Outreach for New Guard Press Publications, a nonprofit journalism site where I worked for close to a year and a half. At New Guard Press, we made sure that young writers were getting the platforms and tools they needed, and we actually just expanded a fellowship so they can get the training they need. My areas of expertise include education policy, policy in general, citizen journalism, recruiting (which I've been doing for about 4 years in various different ways), community engagement, and communications. I've worked specifically with Gen Z students, getting their writing out on public forums. Before these roles, I worked in the nonprofit sector for about three and a half years in multiple roles. I'm currently working on my bachelor's degree in business and public policy through God's Bible School and College. I'm a FORGE Fellow through the FORGE Leadership Network, where I completed political training including media training, campaign training, and communications training. I'm also a previous alum of the Heritage Foundation internship and completed an entrepreneurship intensive program through the Atlas Institute. I'm still pretty active within the Forge Leadership Network, and I've been a student mentor through that organization, making sure the next generation gets the same training that I got. I've also worked with pregnancy care centers, advocating for moms and making sure they had the resources they need, and I've done campaign work for some representatives.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Janae
01What do you attribute your success to?
I truly attribute my success to God. He's opened the doors that I never thought would have been possible. He's placed people in my life that have shaped me into who I am and made me more capable to step into these roles. If anything outside of Him, I would say networking and communication, just putting yourself out there, having an openness to a social presence, even when you feel like you are making an idiot out of yourself, and crafting the way you communicate with individuals. If you can have the ability to articulate ideas well and clearly, you will succeed in whatever platform you go into.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is that whatever you are passionate about, put 110% in. Don't be afraid to put in the long hours or the occasional sacrifices. Don't think that success will become easy. You've got to work for it. There's not opportunities presented to you on a platter. It is by your integrity and your determination that it'll come to you.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do not be afraid to ask for more than you think you deserve. I honestly had many doors open just because I was like, hey, I want some opportunities. I'm young, I want to learn, I'm ambitious. What have you got? Do you have a book, podcasts you've listened to that have shaped you? Do you have a person that really impacted you? If you have resources, I want to have them. Don't be afraid to ask for resources, don't be afraid to honestly ask stupid questions, because the more questions you ask, the more people are going to realize that you're driven and ambitious, and that you want to get somewhere. But also just trust in God that He'll open the doors, and following Him faithfully, and whatever you have in your life, steward it well.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges are currently just the political divisiveness that we're facing within the State House. I think a lot of people would be surprised how often Democrats and Republicans work together. The news media, specifically in politics, has played such a negative role. Sometimes it's hard to get positive legislation across the line just because the story has been twisted within the news narrative. I would say that's one of the biggest challenges, just unclear or untruthful communication from the news media. The biggest opportunity is reaching across the aisle, getting something across the lines that benefits both parties, but still standing for truth, beauty, and goodness within whatever policy field you're in.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are honesty, integrity, clear-headedness, being decisive, and being adventurous and not afraid of the next challenge.
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