Jordan Berry '27 is spending her entire summer on Bar Harbor, a resort town nestled into the shore of Mount Desert Island on the Maine coastline. Bar Harbor is an idyllic Northeast summer vacation spot, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists each season – but Berry's not one of them.
Berry works three campus jobs during the academic year to pay tuition. The work study dollars she accrues – as a campus photographer, tour guide, and digital engagement coordinator – put a nice dent in her college bill, but she relies on summer earnings to stave off post-college debt. She figures if she's got to work, why not pick a spot with a view.
"Not to pile on my friends who are working desk jobs in upstate New York, but it's pretty great to work on the island."
Berry grew up in Elsworth, Maine – a sleepy town of fewer than 10,000 people. During her senior year of high school, she had an opportunity to participate in an internship program that would excuse students from classes three afternoons a week. She signed up for the course, and then had to find an internship. Berry figured she had two options. She could drive a few minutes north into town, or she could drive 15 miles south to Bar Harbor. It was a no-brainer – she went looking for an internship on the island.
"Bar Harbor is very peaceful. It's just refreshing. I think it's very unique to other tourist towns, even other tourist towns in Maine. Everyone is immersed in nature. It's just a great place to escape."
Berry scored an internship with Witham Hotels which operates six hotels on the island. As a senior, she assisted with marketing and design work on brochures, social media posts, and signage. When the school-year ended, Berry stayed on staff as a part-time (paid) employee. When the summer ended, they offered her an even better deal this year. The marketing communications major is still one month shy of her 19th birthday, and she's working full-time this summer in guest activities and marketing for Witham Hotels.
"I have an office and we're located right on the ocean. All of our meetings are outside. I feel very lucky to be able to make money doing something I enjoy."
Last summer, Berry led a project to create room design diagrams for the website. A job well done earned her Employee of the Week recognition and a new job this year that now includes overseeing guest activities like "touch tanks" (with sea animals), as well as movie nights, ice cream socials, and craft time. As for the marketing responsibilities, Berry's getting to do exactly what she wants to do for a career and exactly what she's learning to do at Siena. But, that's not all she's doing. Berry works from 7 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, then, three nights a week, she waits tables at a restaurant in town during the dinner shift.
"It is tiring. I don't drink caffeine during the school year, but I definitely do in the summer. But I had 8 a.m. classes this year, so it's not like I'm used to sleeping in."
Still, working that much can take its toll, and everyone could use a vacation. Fortunately, Berry knows the perfect spot.
"That's one of the perks. It's such a great company. I get to stay at the properties for basically nothing. Next week, two of my friends from Siena are coming up, and we're staying at one of the hotels. We've been planning this trip since last fall."
Berry wants to pursue a career in hospitality marketing, and she mentions The Ritz-Carlton in Boston as a dream landing spot. But she's not worried about the future right now. She knows she'll work hard enough to make it happen, but for the next nine days, she's on vacation.
Berry's dream summer job turned out to be right around the corner; but her dream school was a bit further away than she anticipated.
"I looked up 'best marketing schools in the area' and Siena popped up, so I added it to my list. I ended up applying to 23 schools. Siena wasn't really on my radar, even though I applied, but I decided to stop by on my way to a different school. Almost as soon as I stepped on campus, Siena became my top choice. I went back for an Accepted Students Day, and then I committed on the spot. My parents always said that Siena screamed my name. It just fits my personality. After my first year on campus, I couldn't be happier with my decision. I love Siena. I'm so glad to be there."
