Jamie Hockenberry is sophomore here at IUP majoring in Communications Media with a double major in Cell and Molecular Biology, for funsies. When she graduates, she has a bunch of plans and back up plans. Her main goal is to be able to work on TV shows and movies and maybe pursue a career as an actress. Her back up plan is to go for her doctorate in Cell and Molecular Biology and work as a research scientist.
But don’t worry… this interview is not all about what she wants to do, it is about dealing with sexual orientation in today’s society. Jamie first realized she was gay when she was 11 years old. She was very hesitant about the whole thing at first and she was very scared to tell anyone. When she was younger, she was very religious and so she always thought that if a person was gay, they would have bad things happen to them and they would have a not so happy ending. With this reason, you can tell why someone would be hesitant. As she got older, she realized that nothing bad would happen to her just because she was gay. So, when Jamie was 13 she decided to start telling her family and friends that she was bisexual.
A year later when Jamie was in 9th grade, she got her first girlfriend, and then the bullying started. Rumors had spread about her sleeping with a guy and girls in classes were continuously making fun of her for dating another girl. Fortunately, the bulling and the rumors came to an end around the end of 9th grade and the beginning of 10th grade.
When Jamie was around 17 years old, she came out as a lesbian. Now, being 20 years old Jamie is very comfortable with who she is. She still fears that close minded people will treat her differently when they find out she is a lesbian. In her opinion, the older generation will treat her differently more than the younger generation.
Another plan that Jamie has that you can add to her long list of career paths is being a motivational speaker. She wants to speak to LGBT youth and adolescence struggling with depression. She would also like to volunteer for The Trevor Project which is a non-profit organization dedicated to help suicidal LGBT teens.
10/10 people would recommend Jamie as being a good friend. She will always be there for you and help you out with any problems that you may face. Oh, and she is very funny and she also just bought a Nintendo Switch and she will let you play if you’re her friend.
If you see Jamie on campus, be sure to say hi!