The JMU X-Labs is a multi-disciplinary organization made up of both faculty and students whose mission is of, “through collaboration, learners build confidence and seize opportunities to innovate.” The student intern team works exceptionally hard to put together up to three Pop-Up workshops a week with up to 30 participants, 37 hours of Open Lab a week and at least one large scale event per semester. This programming brings together people from all over campus and beyond despite differences in background. They help build a community that is more about creativity, exploration and building confidence rather than cater to a specific group of majors or interests. The team genuinely wants faculty, students, and members of the community to come in and utilize the space. They consistently look for partnerships across a variety of areas including student orgs, the Office for Disability Services, and the Center for Global Engagement among others. Each intern brings something special so we would like to specifically recognize each of them. 

Madison - 

Madison has taken a leadership role when it comes to social media and marketing. She has transformed the X-Labs Instagram account into a fun and engaging platform that inspires others to join the pop-up sessions. Madison is a returning intern and has been essential with helping new hires feel comfortable with the machinery and systems.

Miranda-

Miranda has taken charge of outside partnerships. Her willingness to reach out to new groups each week has enabled X-Labs to reach a larger variety of people and make connections with new and engaging partners. She is confident and willing to make suggestions, demonstrating her capabilities to always seek improvement.

Emily- 

Emily is a new hire this semester, but has astounded the rest of the X-Labs team on how fast and willing she is to dig into the technology in the lab space and create accessible programming on tough topics. Her bright and energetic personality captivates Open Lab and Pop-Up patrons so that they feel welcome and capable about topics such as living hinges and encourages others to create their own projects with these concepts no matter their background.

Alecia - 

Being an international student in the arts, Alecia has been a great value to the team in terms of reaching new student populations and creating captivating experiences for our patrons. Her quiet and approachable persona makes her a great asset as she is able to calmly and patiently guide participants through complex design problems, helping them find a solution.

Cameryn -

Cameryn surprised the team from the beginning. This semester not only has she planned and taken charge of several of the Pop-Up workshop themes, but she has also extended the JMU X-Labs community online through vlogging on Tik Tok and YouTube. Her energy, enthusiasm and ideas not only inspires Open Lab and Pop-Up patrons, but has inspired our team to look  for new ways to connect with our community and involve others.

Robin -

Robin has been a great value to the intern team as he makes sure that we have a good balance of workshops and activities that intrigue both females and males in the X-Lab’s space. He has pioneered new topics and partnerships through his involvement with the armwrestling club and has brought his passion for the sport into our programming. His attitude and friendliness is infectious and he makes sure that everyone that walks into the lab is greeted with a warm welcome.

Jessica - 

Jessica has done a superb job of thinking outside the box and helping expand X-Lab’s impact to visiting patrons. Jessica is particularly great at inspiring others to think big by consulting with them during Open Lab as well as creating a variety of high-quality examples for patrons to visually understand what they can do and make in the lab. Her work inspires new and returning patrons alike with sample projects.

Each of these students truly embodies the JMU All Together One spirit through their tireless work in the JMU X-Labs. We hope that this award can be a small thank you to the countless times you all have gone the extra mile for this campus and its community. We wish you the best of luck with the rest of your semesters!