We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeremiah Stinnett. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeremiah below.
Jeremiah, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
In 3rd grade my parents got divorced. I switched schools and was living with my 2 younger brothers and older sister at the time. At this point my 2 older brothers and oldest sister had all moved out already. My Dad stepped up as the primary caretaker for me and my siblings while my mom did a lot to find herself and to follow some work aspirations. Despite the reality that my family did not have a lot – my dad found the good in everything. He has always had this optimism this certainty and this boisterous nature. I have realized how much of my personality has become a spitting image of my dad’s. He really showed me how powerful honesty, kindness, and love could be. I have always found my dad’s wisdom in small things, and it has carried me through a lot in life. I remember my senior year of high school I was overwhelmed by what came next – many in my family had struggled through or chosen not to go to college – and I asked him what to do. He echoed a quote that at the time I had never heard – he said “Son, how do you eat an elephant?” and I stumbled a bit and said, “I don’t know if you should be eating elephants”. He laughed and just said “one bite at a time”. Everything can be accomplished one bite a time and that has followed me everywhere since. Through my undergraduate and graduate degree, through my career, through my relationships I am always reminded we accomplish anything one bite at a time.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
When I first pursued higher education, I never thought that I could have a career in it – I thought I wanted to be a computer science engineer. After starting that program, I quickly realized that I had no interest in being chained to a desk and computer writing code. I was encouraged to visit a campus coach that helped with connecting students to potential future careers and much to my surprise education was my top suggestion. I quickly found myself deeply engaged in college life realizing the benefits of outside the classroom learning and the power that a college ecosystem had on the learning that happened in between childhood and adult life. It was clear by the time I had completed my Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations that working in higher education was the perfect intersection of my passions, mission, profession, and vocation – or my Ikigai, another concept that had been introduced to me by mentors outside the classroom. I found myself most fulfilled when supporting others in their pursuit of their careers, dreams, and missions. I then completed my Master of Education in Adult and Higher Education and have committed the last 7 years working across multiple institutions.
In my higher education career I have supported students as they created community programs in local juvenile detention centers & after school programs for children, I have taught leadership education and empowered students to find their strengths, I have supported young men through mentorship and supported their educational attainment, I have gotten the opportunity to deliver a TedX talk, and have shared my own story & experiences all around. I now find myself at the intersection of innovation as I have landed in a newly formed role to help educate campus staff on how to effectively support college aged students using case management strategies. I now am serving as the Senior Manager of Curriculum & Instruction for the Dallas College Case Management Studio. I am excited to connect with not only internal staff about effective student support strategies but also with non-profits and organizations around the city of Dallas, TX to expand our knowledge.
I believe that education is one of the keys to leveling the playing field economically. With the right guidance, mentors, and support people have so much opportunity. I am lucky that I had mentors to get me to where I am and just so grateful to do the work of giving back to the next generation.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I believe that kindness has been a major part of my journey. While there will always be people you interact with that may treat you poorly, I have always felt that reciprocating that with unwavering kindness has led me to where I am. It’s not about being “fake” or forcing yourself to be positive in the face of everything – it’s about understanding that every person you encounter is a human being and that you can give them the same kindness you would hope to receive. I believe that it has unlocked relationships and connections that are very important to me now. I would encourage anyone to just try to be more kind in daily interactions.
Secondly goals are not linear. You have to remind yourself that to get from point a to point b it will often take many curves and winding roads. When I applied to give a TEDx talk at first, I was rejected. Then I got rejected 5 more times before finally on the seventh try being given an audition. When I chose to attend graduate school, I had no way to pay for it and was rejected from a barrage of assistantships. After 4 months and bouncing through other opportunities I got a call that changed my whole trajectory to offer me a position I had only dreamed about. Embrace the winding paths and don’t give up because things didn’t move forward exactly as planned. Be consistent in the face of adversity and rejection. One of my favorite books is “Rejection Proof” by Jia Jiang – I would encourage anyone struggling with rejection to check it out!
Lastly, laugh & have fun. It’s cliche I know but my heart and mind feel better day in and day out because of the laughter and joy that I feel with those I care most about. Life is about the living part not the working part. Have fun at work have fun at home and be joyful. It is hard to be joyful in the face of the things that come our way but why not choose joy in the face of it. I have the Arabic word for courage tattooed on my right forearm to remind myself every day that we must remain courageous. Find time for yourself and find joy.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I got to where I am by focusing on my strengths. If I had been hyper focused on improving my weaknesses I would still be stuck doing that going in circles trying to force myself to be more organized, to wake up earlier, etc. Instead, I said, “well here is what I am amazing at let’s do that as often as possible” and it’s THAT that has led me to opportunity and careers. It’s about focusing on little sparks. When I was young, I had a natural talent for speaking in front of groups – I didn’t get nervous no matter the size, had a really clear speaking voice, and knew how to enunciate – this led me to always putting myself in front of groups. I led pep rallies, performed in school plays, which turned into national presentations and paid speaking opportunities. Imagine if I had ignored that natural strength and been focused on ways I struggled? Go all in on what you have innately and make those better and better – there is not a ceiling or cap you can always improve or grow something!
Contact Info:
