Humans of Lee
Photo: Jaclyn De Vries
This week I met junior Jenna Inman at Gardener's Market, the location where several of her friendships blossomed freshman year.
As an introvert traveling to Lee from North Dakota, Inman had to force herself to make friends and find community. A lot of this happened freshman year when she joined Ladies of Lee, and even more sophomore year when Jonathan Rodgers, assistant professor of Choral Music, was hired as the new director of the choir.
'He has just built that group into something completely amazing,' Inman said. 'There's just a lot more community building, a lot more friendships blossoming; not just relationships in the choir, but with our director, and with our community and with the surrounding area.'
Ladies of Lee frequently performs in nursing homes and at local churches. Rodgers encourages the singers to engage with the audience after the show, talking with them or eating with them.
This year, Inman has found community in her job at Garden Plaza, a nursing home in Cleveland, where she works as a server.
'It's the most amazing job I've ever had and I love it so much,' Inman said. '[The residents] remind me a lot of my grandparents, but also they're not quick to judge you even though you're their server, and they want their food, and it's their grumpiest time of the day. I feel like they're always somewhat friendly, want to get to know you [and] know about you ' It's really nice to go somewhere and have someone recognize you, or know your name, or really appreciate what you're doing for them. It's not just a workplace, it's a friendship, it's a relationship with these people.'
One particular friendship Inman has made is with a resident who is losing her memory to dementia.
'Every single day she recognizes you but she does not remember that you served her the day before,' Inman said. 'You're dressed in your work clothes, you have your tie on, food splattered all over you, and she'll just look at you and she'll [say], 'Oh my gosh. You are the most stunning person I have ever seen in my life.' And [you say], 'Oh thank you, thank you. What would you like to eat?' And she just [says], 'You have the most beautiful eyes. You're the apple of your daddy's eye, I just know it.' "
Inman said encounters like this encourage her every day.
'You could've just wiped out on the sidewalk and then come into work and it's all better; day's made,' Inman said.
After graduating with her Bachelor of Arts in music, Inman plans to continue her schooling with a graduate degree in music therapy. She was drawn to this in high school, after realizing the potential it has to help people.
'So [you're] not just making music for yourself and for your fans, but also [using] psychology and therapy; [it is] helping people utilize their talents and their abilities to make music, but also to help them with their daily struggles that they're going through,' Inman said.
After taking a Deaf Studies class as an elective, Inman said she had an epiphany from God about working with the Deaf community in the future.
'It will be tough because the Deaf community can't really hear anything,' Inman said. 'But ' they can really sense vibrations and different movements by seeing and feeling. Even though their sense of hearing is gone, they can still get the gist of what a sound or a beat might be. It would strengthen my skills to go in depth, not just with the hearing realm, but with the other senses as well.'
