Rockefeller Leadership Fellow: Jordyn Turner '16

This series introduces the 2015-2016 Rockefeller Leadership Fellows. Each fellow reflects on why he or she wanted to be a part of the program and what aspects of leadership most interests them.

RLF shapes Dartmouth students for diverse leadership roles by equipping them with universally applicable skills from which I hope to benefit immensely.

Through my employment in the Admissions Office, I have gained experienced in simultaneously balancing multiple projects and in thinking and acting quickly on my feet as I handle queries from students and parents. I have had the opportunity to travel and study abroad extensively. My freshman summer term was spent living with a host family in Brazil. Last spring term, I earned a fellowship fully funded by the Tucker Foundation and was working in Soweto, South Africa in a nonprofit youth empowerment program. This past fall, I was living and studying in China. As a result of my travels, I have learned to adapt quickly to new environments and am well versed in, incredibly perceptive of, and innately attentive to environmental nuances - be they in a new country or with a new group of people.

By virtue of having played team sports since I was five years old - including Division I basketball - I am incredibly perceptive in terms of people. I want to be the best leader in a team setting possible, and I know that RLF will equip me with the skills to do so. The ability to read people was particularly helpful to me this past summer in serving as president of my sorority. I learned how integral communication is to group success; being vocal is imperative, but one must understand that different personnel respond better to different methods of communication.

I am interested in a career in foreign policy, specifically from an analysis standpoint. IN my government classes especially, my most rewarding moments are when I can analyze situations and make educated speculations based off of my knowledge and the information I am provided with. I have always been particularly fond of research and hope that my skills gained in RLF will help me pursue a line of work that allows me to draw upon that passion in some capacity.

Jordyn Turner ’16 graduated from The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, PA. During her time at high school, she was co-editor of the school newspaper, The Beacon, and two-year captain of her high school basketball team, leading it to its first ever state championship her senior year. She was also one of 250 high school students out of almost 84,000 applicants to be named a Coca-Cola National Scholar and among the 60 out of thousands of applicants to be chosen as a Jackie Robinson Scholar. At Dartmouth, Turner plans to double major in Government and Asian & Middle Eastern Studies. She is a William Jewett Tucker Fellow and spent her sophomore spring volunteering at a non-profit youth program in Soweto, South Africa. She is an active voice for positive change in the Greek system as president of the Dartmouth Panhellenic Council and also a member of the Dartmouth Subtleties acapella group. After graduating, she hopes to attend law school and ultimately pursue a career in law or public policy.