Have you witnessed a time when you industry reversed course on something important? We’d love to hear about it, because when these U-Turns are covered up we lose out on our ability to better evaluate the current direction of our industries.

Julissa Vasquez

I made the decision to pursue a degree in Clinical Social Work because in my heart it was the thing that fully resonated with, and that felt in alignment with who I truly was in the world. Yet, despite my enthusiasm for the work, there were those around me that did not have much respect for my choice in career or understood why I would elect to go into a field where one could essentially struggle to make ends meet. Read more>>

Sophie Janicke-bowles

I was trained as a psychologist with a focus on media psychology, where I learned all about the way media (including TV, social media, and new technologies these days) impact us, mainly in a negative way. I learned about how and when TV and video games may contribute to aggressive thoughts and behaviors, the effects of media propaganda, and how kids can be seriously scared watching certain shows. Of course, we also talked about how to remedy these negative effects, but it was not until the early 2000s that psychology first took a turn to look at how individuals flourish, and then media psychologists started to more systematically investigate how media can benefit our lives, beyond learning and entertainment. I was at the forefront of this U-turn in the research field myself when I switched my research interests from studying antihero characters in crime drama to studying spirituality in media. Read more>>

Samantha Kelly

Upon graduating from Widener University in 2020, I was set on a career in sales. I had navigated business school with a clear focus on this path. However, the COVID-19 pandemic upended the job market, causing sales roles to dwindle and delaying my entry into the field. Just before the pandemic, I had also left a long-standing position at CVS Health, where I had worked for over seven years. Facing unemployment for the first time, I spent my time working on personal and professional development. A chance opportunity arose when a family friend posted on Facebook about a temporary job. I quickly confirmed the opportunity and found myself at the Logan Hotel in Philadelphia, unexpectedly tasked with coordinating VIP transportation to mysterious “studios.” This new role was completely unfamiliar to me, but I embraced it, using my time waiting on set to read “The Power of Strangers,” which boosted my confidence and communication skills. Read more>>