From Dance to Educational Innovation: Dr. Jennifer Berry on Building STEM Identity Beyond Science

Building Champions for Life

The episode explores the professional metamorphosis of Dr. Jennifer Berry, tracing her path from a professional dancer to a corporate leader

Key takeaways

Dr. Jennifer Berry transitioned from a professional dance contract to pursue higher education, demonstrating early self-awareness.
A 15-year tenure at Gap Inc. provided foundational training in operations, marketing, and customer care.

Main topics

Career transitions
Retail management training

Notable quotes

I was self-aware enough to go, I need something different.

Conclusion

The episode serves as an inspiring blueprint for leveraging transferab

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) For many of us, going further isn't a choice. It's a feeling we can't ignore. Because ambition has a way of outgrowing where it began. Turning dreams into direction. Every journey brings us closer to the life we imagine. So, where will your journey take you? Etihad. Beyond Borders. Speaker 2 (0:34) Welcome to Building Champions for Life, where we dive into the minds of extraordinary leaders, trailblazers, and champions from every corner of the world. I'm your host, Kirk Spahn, and together we're going to meet with visionaries who've conquered challenges, shattered ceilings, and redefined what's possible. From sports, tech, entertainment, to entrepreneurship, our guests have one thing in common. They are building legacies of greatness, and they're here to share their passion. and their process with you. Welcome to the show. We're right at the moment that you're making this announcement to your family to do the opposite of what most people do. Yes, Speaker 3 (1:21) yeah, Speaker 2 (1:21) the Speaker 3 (1:21) opposite of what other people Speaker 1 (1:22) do. Speaker 3 (1:22) I'm going to college. Yeah, I'm going to college. And it was a shock and awe, actually, because I was in a professional dance company on contract and that, you know, you lose money, you get fined. There's all kinds of rules behind when you break a contract, especially back then. I'm sure even now. But that was a very big announcement for me to a point where my choreographer for years wouldn't even speak with me. Now we're very close. I see him as a mentor, but he was very disappointed, very upset. You know, nobody breaks contracts back then. And my parents were slightly disappointed too. I wouldn't say disappointed, but a little bit like, listen. dancer shelf life is short. So do that and then go to college, right? And I was like, no, I'm going to, you know, I was a dancer and even in high school, so a professional dancer in high school. So I was sort of in this phase Speaker 2 (2:09) of, I need to get out of this. I did it young. Speaker 3 (2:13) And I was also modeling and acting. I mean, everybody that lives in Los Angeles is kind of what you do. It's sort of like a rite of passage, right? It's a rite of passage as a teenager. And so I've just been doing that for so long. And I wanted to you know, exercise my brain in a different way. You definitely exercise your brain and your mind through dance and storytelling and traveling the world doing so. However, I definitely wanted to push the envelope of learning in a different way. And so I wanted to go to college. So I did that and had to pay for it myself, which was good. I had money in the bank because of my dance background. So I was able to do that. I did get a little bit of a dance scholarship to help. And I did all the applications behind closed doors and nobody knew. And I paid for everything. Yeah, it was very... Speaker 3 (2:55) Anyway, I should probably write a book about that one day. Yeah, Speaker 2 (2:58) but Speaker 3 (2:58) self Speaker 2 (2:58) -awareness, self-awareness. I mean, you clip one of those things. I mean, self-awareness is so big, right? We talked about it today, whether that exists. You were super self-aware at the time. I mean, that's a really big step. Speaker 3 (3:11) Yeah, it was a big step. And looking back, I don't know if in that moment I was self-aware, but I was self-aware enough to go, I need something different. I need something different for me and my life. I didn't know what that different was. I didn't go to college knowing like, oh, I'm going to be this when I get out of college. I went with like a general mindset. I think my first two years, I didn't even claim a major. And then I claimed it in my third year of political science and then got that degree. Had no idea what I was going to do with that. And luckily for me, because I needed to get in-state residency and pay for it to help me pay for school, I was walking through the mall one day. I had no idea what like a real job was, right? So I had a baseball hat and a big sweatshirt on. I'm walking through the mall collecting applications. And there happened to be a group of like five men in suits standing in front of a store. And they were like with clipboards and they were having this conversation. And I sort of like pushed my way through them because I come from a dance background. I have a lot of confidence. And so I just kind of like. pushed my way through this group of men and said, excuse me, does anybody have an application? And one of the men just thought that was really impressive. And so he said, hey, talk to me. Why do you want an application? Why this store? What about this store? And I was like, I don't really know. I'm just walking through the mall. This store is cool. I shop here. I like the brand. I think it would be great to be a part of something that I actually wear myself. And we just started this really interesting conversation. He said, you know, we're actually starting an intern program where it's a management intern program. And what year in college are you? I happen to be a junior. And he was like, awesome. That's what we're looking for. We're looking for juniors that you then join a management intern program for the last two years of your college experience. And then after that, we'll move you to San Francisco. This was Gap Inc., by the way. So it was a Gap store that I was in front of, but it's Gap Inc., which, you know, at that time owned Banana Republic, Gap, and Old Navy. Yeah. And they said, after you graduate, we'll move you to San Francisco and you can work the corporate office, you can work the field stores, and we'll basically teach you the ins and outs of really good management, right? Good operations, marketing, customer care, production, like the whole gamut. And I thought, okay, I need state school residency so that I can have a cheaper rate on my tuition. So I'll do that. That sounds great. You know, I was young and dumb and it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I mean, I learned, and this was, you know, this was in the nineties. So there was a lot of really good, you know, Gap Inc was at the peak of their, their, their tenure in the retail space. And so I learned some amazing skills and really set myself up for what a good business leader and what good, you know, sales and marketing and customer service looks like. So it was really, it was a really great. moment for me in my life to happen to walk in somewhere, have the confidence to sort of push through a group of people. And then all of a sudden I found myself in this amazing intern program. I Speaker 2 (6:07) love that. I mean, the learn-do model. I mean, we talked about that. And I think that that parlays into a lot of what Smart Lab is about, where you kind of found yourself that that it sounds like you're that doer, go out and get it. And part of that probably is. stem from the dance, from having to sort of, in a way, fend for yourself. And then just it gave you this pathway. And I think as you developed more and we got into the education space, when and how did that happen? And was there ever- Yeah, Speaker 3 (6:39) it's fascinating because, and I think this is true, but I used to try to tell myself- If people look good, they feel good. So then therefore