Staff Spotlight: Jamie Fleishman
By Jamie Fleishman, MD Middle School Program Coordinator
Photo courtesy of Jamie
Recently, Jamie has joined AALEAD’s Maryland Office as a Middle School Program Coordinator! To learn more about Jamie, read her Q&A responses!
Q: Tell us a little about yourself!
I am a transracial adoptee; I was born in Zhenjiang, China and adopted at 17 months. I have pretty much lived my entire life in Montgomery County! I recently graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a degree in Community Health. During my free time, I enjoy hanging out with friends, reading, watching Netflix, or playing Pokemon Go. Whenever I can, I like to travel to new places either outside or within the United States.
Q: How did you learn about AALEAD?
As someone who grew up in Montgomery County, I attended a MCPS high school that had AALEAD! Unfortunately, I only attended less than a handful of events due to my commitment to sports. Of the programs I did attend, I remember the staff being really inviting and the atmosphere being very inclusive!
Q: What led you to joining AALEAD?
Throughout my college experience, I realized that I thrived from programs that involved engaging with a community. This led me to wanting to be a part of an organization that worked directly with their population. During my last semester, my mentor reminded me of AALEAD, which led me to applying to my current position with AALEAD!
Q: So far, what is your favorite part about being a Middle School Program Coordinator?
I really like how I am working directly with youth; it is challenging yet extremely rewarding! My programs are just starting but I am excited for any and all challenges coming my way!
Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
I hate flying on airplanes, so I would really love the ability to teleport. Flying causes so much stress and anxiety: you have to find good tickets, then you have to arrive a billion hours before your flight which might even get canceled (I’m speaking from experience). Sadly, it is an exhausting process that we all have to go through. If I had the ability to teleport I could instantly arrive at my destination. It would be faster and cheaper. At the same time, if we were witches and wizards like in Harry Potter, being able to apparate would be really nice and energy efficient.
Q: You mentioned Pokemon Go, do you have a favorite Pokemon?
That’s a hard question, I’ll answer this question by dividing it by the different Pokemon platforms. My favorite Pokemon in the card game was dragonair; I enjoyed collecting the different cards and their images of dragonair. Regarding the television show, my favorite was squirtle because it had an attitude. In the nintendo 64 pokemon stadium game, I enjoyed playing kakuna because it’s harden move was cooly animated. Now, my favorite pokemon in the Pokemon Go game is salamance because I invested so much time into making it stronger.