This Is Me — Jennie

Introducing myself to ILLUMINATION

Hello! My name is Jennie and I am currently 22 years old. I’m very excited to join the ILLUMINATION community.

Here are 3 interesting facts about me…

I am an anthropologist

In May of 2019 I graduated from college with a Bachelor’s degree in anthropology. What is anthropology you ask? It’s the study of people!

I know super broad, right?

Basically anthropology focuses on all things human. This meant that my studies included topics like archeology, evolution, primates, biology, culture, and linguistics. It was a little bit of everything and it was wonderful. However, my favorite topic was culture because I love people.

People are so fascinating to me. The way they talk, act, dress, and engage with the environment around them — there are endless factors that influence people — it’s amazing!

I love how writing has allowed me to get back in touch with this side of learning about and researching about people and culture. Plus I get to share it with you.

I am a student nurse

While I love all things anthropology, I decided to go back to school to get a second degree in nursing.

Yes, I am currently finishing up my nursing degree during a global pandemic…yikes!

But I can tell you, this pandemic makes me even more confident in my decision to enter the nursing field. I have been blown away by the selflessness and sacrifice of our front line heroes.

I am also curious to see how this pandemic changes healthcare. We can already see that telehealth has taken over in a huge way, and people are taking extra precautions about spreading disease.

Also, did you know, that a lot of nurses are expected to leave the field due to burnout because of this pandemic? This is going to create a nursing shortage in the next 5 years and there will be an estimated 1.1 million NEW nurses needed to help.

On the flip side, I have been reading things about hospitals cutting staff due to decreased revenue. A lot of hospitals are losing profit because they are not able to schedule elective surgery, which is the way hospitals make most of their money.

I guess we’ll see what happens.

I write under a pen name

I honestly wasn’t quite sure I wanted to go this route, but I eventually made up my mind to write under a pen name.

Why?

As I was delving into the research of pen names, I quickly realized the benefits of using one. The top reason suggested using a pen name if another author already had your name. While I know this isn’t a deal-breaker in most cases, I have a very common name.

When I googled myself (shudder), I found many well-established people with the same name — including many authors. Some even had the same middle name or initial.

That sealed the deal.

I am certainly not a bestselling romance novelist nor am I quite sure I want to be…? Hey. Never say never.

But, all jokes aside, I am happy with my decision to use a pen name. I think it makes me a little more vulnerable in my writing.

So I guess that’s it. Thanks for reading — it’s nice to meet you!