AU boasts about 1,900 dedicated staff members. Meet one of them: Jaylene Arnold, designer, University Communications and Marketing

I have worked at AU for five years in January. Before that I had my own line of stationery for eight months—one of my greeting cards was in Paper Source. I also worked as a designer for Mom’s Organic Market. My job is to design all sorts of graphics, from emails and invitations to wall art and social media graphics. I’m also the staff illustrator for American magazine, which is the most fun part of my job. 

My favorite day of the workweek is Monday. As much as I love my weekends, I’m a creature of habit, so I enjoy getting back into my work routine. A typical day starts with creative concepting for projects. I’ve tried doing that after lunch, but my brain is just like, “I’m in a food coma.” In the afternoon I do production work and anything technical, like editing.

My office is at 4401 Connecticut Avenue, but I do my Zoom meetings from my kitchen table. Sometimes I do them on the couch, but then my 17-pound cat, Cleo, will sit on me. My work-from-home rituals include starting the day with an early morning walk. Then I have my coffee while I write up the day’s to-do list. I take another lunchtime walk with my son, Bodhi, who works from home. I also work a 10-minute YouTube stretch break into my day.

The person who helped show me the ropes at AU is my boss, Maria Jackson. I respect her so much as a designer. She’s still showing me the ropes. I found my community at AU through the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Faculty and Staff Affinity Group. I just attended my first event a couple weeks ago.

AU’s campus is at its most beautiful in the fall because you can feel the energy and optimism that comes with a new school year. Also, the AU Arboretum and Gardens is beautiful in the fall. The most famous face I’ve seen on campus is Kheedim Oh, CAS/BS ’98, founder of Mama O’s Premium Kimchi. I met him and Mama herself at the affinity group event.

Mine is an Eagle family: My husband, Jarrett, graduated this year with his MFA, and my daughter, Shashi, goes to the Pratt Institute on a tuition exchange scholarship. I show my AU spirit by creating pieces that the campus community can interact with, like the eagle wings on East Campus. I met some students the other night who said they took pictures with the wings—it’s cool to know I had something to do with that.

When I’m not at work, you can find me at the thrift store. My hobbies include pottery, making music, and learning Korean. The last great book I read was The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. The last great show I watched was Severance. The last great meal I had was Royal Tandoor in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

My most Washington moment was 20 years ago at Metro Center. For some reason, the trains weren’t running, and people were piling up. It was dead quiet and suddenly, somebody started whistling the theme song to the Andy Griffith Show. Everybody joined in, and it was just this magical moment. Then the trains came, and everyone moved on with their day. 

If I wasn’t a designer, I would be a songwriter. But my job is best because I get to be creative at work—and I still have plenty of room and time to be creative at home. 

Eagle Tales is a new AU Now feature, which Arnold will illustrate. Know a staffer we should profile? Send us your story idea.