Barry Doe '20
Communication
Barry Doe '20
Communication
Helping Kids Find Their Place
While always knowing he wanted to work with kids, Barry Doe found a purpose while working in Cedar Rapids.
MMU: You’ve worked at Four Oaks, Jane Boyd Community House, and Mount Mercy’s JumpStart program—how have these experiences brought you closer to the community?
BD: When I started working at Jane Boyd, a lot of the kids there reminded me of my little brothers back home or my nieces and nephews, and some of the kids reminded me of myself when I was younger. With that and JumpStart, I just know what a lot of the kids go through or are going through. They’re a lot like me when I was growing up.
Before JumpStart, I never would have thought about staying in Cedar Rapids. I felt like there was nothing here for me, but there’s actually a lot of opportunities. So, now it has become a possibility to stay in Cedar Rapids.
MMU: What did you gain by being involved with JumpStart?
BD: You meet a lot of parents, speakers, and kids through JumpStart. It’s a warm feeling seeing people in the community, but now that you know them they see that you’re a good person. JumpStart also improved my networking skills. I learned that once the initial communication is done, don’t stop there. Check up on people. A lot of the parents I talked to gave me job opportunities after graduation that I never would have thought of before JumpStart.
MMU: What experience impacted you the most?
BD: We were with the kids at Jane Boyd all day during the summer. For a lot of them, that’s the highlight of their day, and they go home to nothing. I really had to up my activity level and really talk to the kids—because it’s all they have.
MMU: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
BD: I see myself being kind of what Jason Pershing ’04, JumpStart program director and assistant athletic director, is right now. He balances a lot of jobs, but he’s a big part of whatever committee he’s involved in. I feel like whatever job I have, I’ll enjoy that job, but my most important goal is to be a figure in the community and look out for kids. Before JumpStart, I never would have thought about staying in Cedar Rapids. I felt like there was nothing here for me, but there’s actually a lot of opportunities. So, now it has become a possibility to stay in Cedar Rapids.