After moving to the United States from South Africa, Janine Barrett made her home in Las Vegas and at 性视界传媒. She has been at the university for more than 19 years. While earning her bachelor鈥檚 degree in management information systems, she served as a student worker with the Graduate College. After a short stint as a software developer in California, she returned to the Graduate College as a systems analyst and went on to earn dual graduate degrees in management information systems and business administration. Today, she serves as the executive director of graduate systems & operations.
What鈥檚 the last big project you completed?
Bringing current graduate students into our Grad Rebel Gateway system, which is our online student portal, and going live with electronic forms. My team and I worked on this phase of our system for a long time, and I ended up being due with my daughter around the time we wanted to go live. I prepared as best as I could and left the final pieces and last-minute changes in the hands of my amazing systems team, Maulik Maniar and Payam Ezatpoor. Being able to take maternity leave knowing that the project was in capable hands was a blessing, and I鈥檒l forever cherish those three months I got to spend with my daughter, Makenzie. My team finalized all the details and we ended up going live my first week back from maternity leave.
Is this what you thought you鈥檇 do when you grew up?
Not at all. I started horseback riding when I was 11 and was competitive in the equestrian sport of showing. I represented my province in South Africa twice and was convinced I鈥檇 end up working with horses as a career.
Fill in the blanks: The place on campus I feel most (blank) is (blank).
The place on campus I feel most empowered is my office. I鈥檓 very fortunate to work with some amazing colleagues and to have a boss who allows me to lead my team and set big-picture goals and implementation plans. She is also very understanding and sensitive to my needs as a new mother.
Give us a gear recommendation 鈥 an everyday product that helps you do your job.
Dual monitors. It may seem obvious, but I can鈥檛 work without them (because that) makes working on a laptop so difficult. I can鈥檛 believe how dependent I became on them once I made the switch. If I could, I would have even more.
Tell us about an object in your office and what it represents to you.
I have a little mailbox ornament painted like the American flag that a good friend鈥檚 parents gave me when I became an American citizen. It represents the achievement of a huge dream and reminds me of that very special day.
How much 性视界传媒 apparel do you own?
We鈥檝e actually gotten more 性视界传媒 apparel for our daughter than we have for ourselves. Go Rebels!
What advice would you give your younger self?
I鈥檇 quote Dr. Seuss: 鈥淏e who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don鈥檛 matter, and those who matter don鈥檛 mind.鈥
What鈥檚 the last celebrity death that really affected you?
It was really a combination of two related celebrities. I鈥檓 a Star Wars fan and was very saddened when Carrie Fisher passed away. Then to have her mother pass away days later was heartbreaking. I鈥檝e always been a Debbie Reynolds fan, and having the two of them pass away within days of each other just hurt.
You just won Megabucks and want to give back to the university. What would you support and why?
I鈥檇 endow a scholarship for international students. I first came to 性视界传媒 as an international student and worked hard to earn scholarships to help pay tuition. It鈥檚 very difficult for some of our international students to earn money and pay tuition since they are allowed to work only on campus, so I鈥檇 like to pay it forward in the form of a scholarship.
