Alumni Corner: Where Are They Now?Jamie Valway

Jamie Valway was one of our star team members here at the CPC and to honor that fact, we reached out to her and asked a few questions about her life since graduating and entering the working force.

First, what was your position at the Community Partnership Center?

I worked on the Design and Research Team. I’ve held various positions increasing in leadership and responsibility over the years: Project Assistant, Project Manager, Co-Team Leader/Training Coordinator.

And what is your current occupation?

I’m an Architectural Designer at Vision 3 Architects in Providence.

Are you still taking classes? If yes, what are you studying and where?

No. But I hope to take some courses in Interior Design in the near future to obtain my certification.

What are some things you’ve learned since leaving that you want us to know?

The professional world is nothing like school. That is to say, what we learn in school is not as valuable as experience. Knowledge is an excellent start because it a tool, but worldly experience and understanding real world application is key.

What does/did the CPC mean to you?

I can speak a lot on how the CPC was an excellent resource for experiential learning while I was in school. But the CPC was more than an professional outlet for me. The faculty and students that worked there were like family to me and I will always cherish those bonds. Over the course of five years I learned more from the CPC than I did in any of my RWU courses simply because I got to utilize class lessons in the real world and have the opportunity to advance my professional skill set. It was also a privilege to collaborate with students of other majors, and learn from them since those professions (such as CM, Engineering and others) usually but heads with us in the real world (as architects). Simply put, my time at the CPC is how I choose to define my college experience.

What is one thing you want all students to know about the CPC?

I would encourage them to embrace opportunities that provide real world experience. Roger Williams has a reputation for great education but that can only get you so far. If you don't know how to apply those teachings you will never succeed. The truth is, it takes practice and the sooner you can get that experience the better off you will be when you finally graduate. I also encourage you to work with other students of different professions. I can only speak for architecture, but we rarely work alone. We rely on other disciplines to make a project successful therefore it is good practice to get along and understand people who may have a different way of thinking than yourself. The CPC provides both these opportunities and more and that’s why it ...

Thank you so much Jamie for all of your work over the years at the CPC, and good luck on whatever adventure you decide to take on next!

To hear more from Jaime, check out "The True Impact of Community Partnership".

Author: Emma Perry