Jillian Buckley '19 sings during the Bryant Players performance of "Footloose"
As a Human Resource Management and Communication major, Jillian Buckley '19 working toward a career helping others reach their full potential. A high-achieving and dedicated student, Buckley’s studies inform her artistic endeavors, and vice versa.
Mixing business and the liberal arts to reach out to others
Nov 02, 2018, by Staff Writer
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For Jillian Buckley ’19, life is all about connections. A veteran of The Bryant Singers choral group, The Bryant Players theatre troupe, Bryant Improv, The Korean dance group, and the University's Dragon Dance team, she loves to perform and reach out to others. As a Human Resource Management and Communication major, she's working toward a career helping others reach their full potential. A high-achieving and dedicated student, Buckley’s studies inform her artistic endeavors, and vice versa.

"When I was looking at schools, I applied to liberal arts colleges and I applied to business schools. What I liked about Bryant is that it required you to learn both."

"Whenever I find myself having struggles in one, I can use the other as a way to see it from a different perspective and figure out a way to solve them. I find myself growing because of the interaction between the two," says Buckley, who recently performed in the Bryant Player's October production of the murder mystery Clue. "Bryant's arts groups aren't just a fun activity, they help us to practice our creativity and our communication skills." That focus on interconnection was a main reason she chose to attend Bryant.

"When I was looking at schools, I applied to liberal arts colleges and I applied to business schools. What I liked about Bryant is that it required you to learn both."

After a great deal of thought, she chose to double major  in Human Resource Management and Communication, subjects, she feels,  that perfectly complement one another. "The different communication theories I’ve learned help me solve the issues that I'll see in my Management courses," Buckley says. "When I'm in my Communications classes, I have  a better idea of how the management practices I'm learning are applied. I find myself constantly borrowing from all of my classes and intertwining the things I’ve learned from them."

Mentors like Florence St. Jean, Director of the Bryant Singers, are also helping Buckley to learn and grow as well. "She's probably one of the most remarkable women I've ever met," says Buckley. "Every time I interact with her, I feel like I’m learning something new about how to treat others and if there's something you’re having an issue with she'll definitely find the time to talk to you about it."

"I truly hope that everyone can have a Florence St. Jean in their life," she says.

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