This summer we got Raven back as a full-time employee after graduating from Drexel University School of Public Health in 2024 with an MPH in Urban Health and a concentration in Maternal Child Health. Even before Raven Truxen graduated undergrad in 2022 from Bucknell University with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Sociology, she had established a working relationship with Brandn Green (Co-Owner of JG). Even though this post might mark the 3rd(!?) year of Raven working with JG Research and Evaluation, we are jazzed to have her back as a full time employee!
1. What was your favorite part about your work with JG while in grad school?
Working with JG while I was in school was valuable because I got to pair real world experiences of working in public health research coupled with furthering my education in my classes with my classmates and professors. JG is an amazing company with amazing co-workers where everyone operates in a supportive environment and allows you to learn, assist with projects and help out in ways that benefits you and works with your schedule without added pressure. The flexibility, kindness and support is unmatched.
2. What did you learn in grad school that has helped you be a better employee at JG?
My introduction classes were more geared towards learning the fundamentals of what it means to work in research, which I found to be super helpful. Although I started working in the real world for this company before deciding to go back to school, I think a lot of the gaps I was experiencing in my role as an employee were filled in by being in some of my classes at school. And vice versa having that real world experience as an employee excelled my learning and experience with doing assignments and conducting projects in school (especially my thesis work).
3. What is most exciting about this type of work?
There is always a new project and new faces to work with that allow you to learn, grow as a researcher/ employee and develop skills you can take with you no matter where you go or what you do next. Research has a lot of different aspects to it, some more complicated than others, but for the most part it aligns well with current events happening in the world therefore getting to work with organizations that have people who are directly involved with working towards change or doing the direct groundwork is such a nice experience especially when you are able to contribute to that from a different angle in our roles.
Outside of the office, Raven loves working out/ weight lifting, traveling, trying new restaurants (“I am a foodie!”), doing DIY projects and arts. “This past year I had the pleasure of planning and putting together my cousin’s baby shower and it was so fun for me to shop for it, design different decor elements, and watch everything come together in the end. Pinterest is my favorite app for inspiration and ideas.“
So glad to have you back at JG, Raven!