21 September 2024 · Karmela Hadjioannou
Dana Jordan started her high school career, as most students do, by attending her local high school. During her freshman year she heard about an open house at East Brunswick Magnet School, previously known as East Brunswick Vocational and Technical Schools. She took a leap of faith and attended the open house by herself to see what other options she had for her education. It was then that Dana realized she found a way to combine her passion of dance, that she held since she was 3 years old with her high school career. She wanted to pursue the Dance program at East Brunswick Vocational and Technical Schools.
Dana organized a meeting between her mom and Dance instructor, Cleo Mack. Her family agreed to let Dana pursue a dual program where she would split her school day. She attended her local high school for all academic classes. She then would travel to East Brunswick Magnet School for career focused education within the Dance program. This meant that Dana’s school day would be almost 45 minutes longer, but that did not deter her from her new found focus. She saw the value in becoming proficient in Dance. This was a way for her to create more opportunities for herself in the future.
“The Dance program was more than just dancing. Every week we learned about kinesiology, anatomy, and the history of dance.”, says Dana “This program changed the trajectory of my life. Through grants I was able to learn from guest speakers about grant writing or stage lighting. One opportunity that stood out was being taught by the original cast members of Chicago. It was a holistic education that I wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. I was able to learn skills that are applicable to so many different areas of my life.”
When it came to college preparation, Dana received that weekly within the Dance program. During her junior and senior years she helped at a theater company in Brooklyn, NY twice a week working tech during their rehearsals. She eventually came to the conclusion that performing was not in her future and decided to look into non-profit performing arts management. For her post-secondary career, she decided to attend the State University of New York in White Plains, NY. Once her college career began, she quickly realized that her education at the Magnet School surpassed what she was being offered at the SUNY school. She needed to adjust and find new challenges.
Dana eventually decided that she would transfer to Middlesex College and seek out a new academic path. After completing 2 semesters at Middlesex College, she then attended Rutgers, majoring in Business Administration and Political Science. Her specialty is in government affairs and policy legislation.
Dana recently worked for Middlesex County as a Workforce Development Board Policy Analyst in the Department of Economic Development. She worked to establish policies that strengthened the county's economy and the labor workforce.
Dana says “Dance taught me about resilience and problem-solving. In dance, you have to figure it out and find a solution, you learn to find a different perspective.”
