Modern and classical languages
Jessica Wehby '14
Employer
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
1. Tell us about your journey since graduation.
It's been a wild ride! I graduated in April 2014 with my
Bachelor's in Women and Gender Studies. By the fall of that year, I
was a shift leader at the Psychiatric Crisis entre in Grand Rapids
doing everything from running groups, passing meds, doing bed checks,
and charting patient progress. After that, I transitioned to a career
at an interpretation company, scheduling and dispatching interpreters
to healthcare appointments all over West Michigan. In February 2018, I
made my biggest journey yet and moved to Cheltenham, England, with my
wife who was relocated there for work. I spent my first year in
England working at a local primary school and since fall 2019 I've
been working for the NHS! My wife and I have been happily married for
over 3 years and plan to stay in England long enough to obtain dual
citizenship. I also hope to pursue my Master's here in the UK!
2. Share a favorite Grand Valley memory.
Pulling an all-nighter in Neimeyer dorms the night before an
African Civ final!
3. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
To honor the sadness. I live with various mental health diagnoses
and being given permission to honor my sadness instead of trying to
avoid it was really special to hear.
4. List three words you would use to describe your Grand
Valley experience.
Well worth it!
5. What difference would you like to make in the world?
There is a quote from Mork and Mindy that goes "I don’t know
how much value I have in this universe, but I do know I made a few
people happier than they would’ve been without me and, as long as I
know that, I’m as rich as I ever need to be." And that's the
difference I want to make. I just want to make people happier than
they would be without me. But most specifically, I'd love to pursue my
Masters in Arts Management to make live theatre more accessible--both
cost-wise, and for those with disabilities such as deaf and blindness,
autism spectrum disorders, and more.
February 2021
Interest Area(s)
Women and Gender Studies, Spanish
Share this spotlight
This spotlight was originally posted to the Alumni website.
Return to the listing of modern and classical languages.