New JEProgram Assistants, Same Old JEPorch

“There’s no place like home” is echoing once again through movie theaters lately, but it’s also a sentiment you’ll feel around the JEP House, especially from our newest program assistants. For them, the phrase applies not to a Kansas farmhouse or the world of Oz, but to a different kind of house. A house with a welcoming porch and a community that has already transformed their workplace into a second home.

I ran into one of those new program assistants, Anya Shah, a sophomore studying business administration who oversees the Peace Project at JEP, on a day she wasn’t even scheduled to work. Naturally, I had to take the opportunity to learn more about her first semester and why she chooses to spend her free time at the JEP House. “My favorite moments this semester have really been just hanging out on the porch with all the other PAs,” she explains. “We’d all get work done, but it was also just really nice being outside and spending that time and hearing about the work that they’re doing, and also just getting to know everybody on the team.”

That porch – and everything it symbolizes – has become central to how JEP’s newest student leaders describe their experience. “We always call it JEPorch and JEPhamily,” Anya says. “And I think that really speaks to how close everybody is here and how much we truly view everybody as family. We are hanging out with each other all the time, even outside of work.”

For new program assistant Charlotte D’Arabian, a sophomore studying business administration who leads JEP’s Geology program, that sense of community was surprising. “When you go to work, obviously you expect to be friendly with your coworkers, but JEP has brought me so many of my absolute favorite people,” she reflects. “It’s just such an amazing community to be a part of.”

Her favorite memory captures the spirit perfectly: First Five, a tradition where PAs and staff take turns bringing lunch to Monday’s staff meetings. Charlotte and fellow new PA Lori “went very all out,” spending hours cooking simply because (even though there’s no prize) they wanted to win the vote for best First Five. “When we walked in, Brenda thought we had gotten a catering service because of how much food we made,” Charlotte laughs. They did win, and the moment encapsulates JEP’s magic: taking something simple and making it meaningful through care, creativity, and shared joy.

New program assistant Julian Gajewski, a sophomore in legal studies and political economy who leads the Economics department at JEP, joined JEP specifically to widen what volunteers could experience. “I really wanted to facilitate what I had experienced for multiple other students and grow that through even more classrooms, and I have already expanded our department” he explains.

But what’s kept him here is the atmosphere. “It’s very clear that everyone here not only cares a lot about what they’re doing, but also cares that everyone is a part of the process and everyone has a voice in the process as well,” he says. “Every time I come here, I know that I’m gonna have a good day. Everyone’s so supportive.”

For Anya, that level of support was unexpected. “When I thought of work, I thought of a very traditional environment where everybody’s just there to get their job done, and sure, there’s a little bit of chit chat but nothing really meaningful,” she says. “But I would say that I’ve met so many amazing people through this and I actually think I found some of my best friends here too.”

Sydney Reza, another new program assistant and a junior psychology major who supervises individual mentoring assignments, discovered just how meaningful JEP’s relationships can be – not just among PAs but in classrooms as well. “I didn’t realize how close the students can get with the actual classroom students and how much of a difference that mutual care makes in their development,” she explains. Through reading reflections, she’s watched volunteers adapt to students’ needs in ways that show genuine growth. Her favorite moment each week? Also related to the feeling of community. “I love our Monday staff meetings. That’s when I get to see everyone and get to hear about everyone’s updates and how their students are doing, and also get to share how my students are doing as well and get feedback on how to help them.”

The impact of this supportive and encouraging environment reaches beyond friendships. Charlotte credits her experience as a PA with influencing her academic path and changing her minor from applied analytics to climate change stewardship and resiliency. “My volunteering experience and then my job as a PA has made me just a lot more passionate about the field and made me realize that I wanted to learn so much more about it.”

All of these reflections, whether they are on porch conversations, shared meals, meaningful work, or newfound confidence, point to something that longtime members of the JEP community already know: JEP is a place where you can find a true sense of belonging. 

And for these new PAs, that feeling didn’t take years to form. It happened in one semester.

As Anya puts it, being at the JEP House even when you’re not scheduled to work isn’t unusual and she’s far from the only one choosing to spend extra time here. Because when a workplace becomes a second home and coworkers become family, you don’t just show up for the job. You show up for the people, the purpose, and the place itself.