Rukiya Curvey Johnson
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago, IL USA
"Begin wherever you are, with what you have, to develop skills or experiences you want to have."
Career Roadmap
Rukiya's work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Education, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Get some experience in project management or event planning. The ability to lead a project that has an end goal and a deadline is key. Volunteer to plan your office's holiday party or take a leadership role on a project for a club you're in. These are good first steps to gain experience for this career.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Psychology & Spanish
University of Virginia
Graduate Degree
Nonprofit Management
University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
My goal was to work in sports and entertainment marketing, so I took on internships at music agencies and helped plan concerts during college.
2.
After graduating, I worked at BET (Black Entertainment Television) in their public relations department—I planned events, opened restaurants, and worked on magazines and TV shows.
3.
I moved to New York to work at a boutique marketing agency, where I primarily worked in sports marketing.
4.
I eventually decided that I wanted to help clients make big decisions rather than just taking on their requests, so I went back to school for my MBA with a focus in brand marketing.
5.
While in graduate school, I volunteered at a halfway house for mothers recovering from drug addiction—the experience shifted my interests and I changed my major to nonprofit management.
6.
I was running a Black-owned cultural center and bookstore when my younger brother was murdered—the loss propelled me into K-12 education in order to help make a difference in young people’s lives.
7.
I got a job with Chicago Public Schools, working my way up from director of teaching and learning, to director of school improvement, to executive director of STEM and strategic initiatives.
8.
After nine years at Chicago Public Schools, I joined Rush University Medical Center as the executive director of the Rush Education and Career Hub, creating opportunities in STEM and healthcare.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
Should I be doing this? I don't think I'm qualified to be in this role.
How I responded:
I was in a role where I had a number of school principals reporting to me. I started to doubt my ability to do the work well because I had never been a principal myself. I took a step back and thought about the core of the work I was doing. At the core, my role was about developing leaders and that's something I knew I was good at. It doesn't matter that I didn't have the same exact background as the people I was leading. Once I reframed my perspective, I was a lot more comfortable in my role.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
My younger brother was murdered at 19 years old. Rather than just getting mad, I felt compelled to do something. I decided to get a job in operations for K-12 education in order to help make a difference in the lives of young people.