JMU Summer Conference Assistant

By Molly Robinson

A May 2012 graduate of JMU, Kailynn "Kai" Brokamp embarked on her second summer with JMU’s Conference Services in the past few months. As a Conference Assistant, she communicated with camps or conferences and conveyed their needs to administrators in the office. Every day in the office encompassed a different set of tasks for Brokamp, including answering calls, sending emails, doing check-ins and check-outs, responding to lockouts, and making key packets. She noted that a lot of Conference Services work is collaborative, “It’s really unpredictable but every aspect of it involves working with people and providing great customer service, which is something I like to do a lot.”

Brokamp first worked as a Conference Assistant after her junior year at JMU when she responded to a mass email from Conference Services advertising the job. “I was really interested in it immediately because I had done some event planning for some of my classes that year and wanted to pursue it more.” Being a Conference Assistant has trained her to be flexible and adaptive. She has also learned to look at a problem head-on and to find effective solution in a calm manner.

The way that people communicate intrigues Brokamp, so she majored in Communication Studies with a concentration in Organizational Communication and a minor in Human Resources and Development. It appealed to Brokamp that these fields of interest could give her a lot of career options.

Brokamp’s ideal job would be an event planner for Tough Mudder, an intense event that includes a 10-12 mile obstacle course and mud run-style race. It is held in several countries in different locations throughout the year.  She likes the fact that Tough Mudder is about teamwork, physical fitness, and having fun. 

Originally from Waynesboro, Virginia, Brokamp first showed interest in attending JMU after visiting her older brother when he was a student. After her visits, Brokamp says, “…[I] really fell in love with it.” She showed her school spirit by being a FROG (First Year Orientation Guide) her sophomore and junior years. Even after graduating, her admiration of the school has not deteriorated. Brokamp respects that students and faculty are friendly. Even though the population of the school is large, she still feels that JMU makes the student community feel small. “I really like being a student employee because I get to spend all day on our beautiful campus. JMU has a lot of resources and great people that make working here very enjoyable.”

Some fun facts about Kai Brokamp:

• Her dream job is to be a dolphin trainer at the Baltimore Aquarium. However, she has no experience with marine animals nor a background in Biology.
• She paid $1 for her car.
• She won a superlative for making sound effects in the office last year.

To learn more about opportunities for on-campus employment, visit the the JMU Student Work Experience Office in Warren Hall.