Jordan Mclelland, also known as J-Mac, is from Greensboro, North Carolina. She attended UNC Pembroke. In college, Jordan started as a biology major, thinking it was where the money was, but after a heart-to-heart with her therapist, she chose to follow joy instead and switched to a communications major. With the communications major, she got involved in clubs at the university and got involved with programming. In her senior year of college, her friend, who worked at another local university, told her to apply for a director of activities position. She was hesitant because she didn’t have any experience in housing, but she went for it anyway, and with the help of her communication skills, she got hired.
After finally getting her foot in the door working for housing, she is now the assistant director of housing for the University of South Carolina Upstate. She has gone to professional development conferences to make a better community for resident students and has learned to advocate for minority and LGBTQ students in housing. She has won the SEAHO Case Study Award and is one of thirty housing professionals across the nation to be selected to participate in the 2024 James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute held for rising professionals in the field of student housing.
Interviewed by: Sophia Hunsicker, USC Upstate
