Navy experience guides CCRI alumna in her new career as a full-time Communication professor

11/07/2024

Jennifer O’Rourke always loved history, but instead of simply learning about it, she decided to be part of it.

The Warwick, RI, native and Community College of Rhode Island alumna spent four years in the United States Navy as a Mass Communication Specialist, developing the photography, journalism, graphic design, and videography skills necessary for her new career as an Assistant Communication and Film/Media professor at CCRI.

O’Rourke, a first-generation student and Class of 2007 graduate in her second year as a full-time faculty member, teaches The Art of Public Speaking, Communication Fundamentals, and Discovering Journalism, courses that allow her to relay her real-world experience educating and informing the public about the achievements of Sailors in the Navy to aspiring Communication students at CCRI. 

“I absolutely love my job at CCRI,” O’Rourke said. “I won the lottery. I cannot believe how lucky I am. My students are amazing. I get to talk all day about what I love so much, and that’s communication, and I have an amazing boss – the chair of our department, Sandy Sneesby, who’s such a great leader. I feel like, here, it’s very communal.”

O’Rourke’s journey began in 2006 when she enrolled at CCRI after graduating Pilgrim High School. Unsure of her academic path, she knew she had passion for learning and talking about history, so she transferred to Rhode Island College to pursue a career as a high school history teacher. Still, something was missing.

“I realized I wanted to be writing those primary sources,” she said. “I wanted to be in the thick of it rather than just relaying the stories.”

O’Rourke decided to join the Navy as a Mass Communication Specialist, where she had the opportunity to develop news and feature stories, multimedia content, and press releases to promote the Navy while deployed with her fleet – a role similar to that of a Public Relations Officer. The journey started with boot camp followed by six months of A school, which is where sailors go to receive technical training in their selected military occupational specialty field. There, O’Rourke learned about writing, photography, videography, graphic design, and even lithography before shipping out of Norfolk, VA, with her fleet.

In addition to her role as a journalist, O’Rourke also worked as a Fire Controlman and Damage Controlman, roles that required her to serve as a first responder critical to preventing accidents while keeping the ship and its crew out of harm’s way. Her longest deployment lasted 10 months with only a few port visits in between. She also had to complete pre-deployment workups that required her to spend up to two weeks every month on the open seas preparing for an extended deployment.

“It was very hard,” O’Rourke said, “but I had a wonderful experience. It was amazing; it was everything I wanted that role to be. I feel like I got to meet everyone on the boat. They shared their stories with me and I learned so much about where they came from and their values and how they see things.

“It was a very rewarding experience and I got to take really cool photos that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.”

After her deployment, O’Rourke earned her master’s degree in Public Relations from Syracuse University in 2019. While she loved journalism, “the hours aren’t great and you’re on duty 24/7.” Having already given so many of her nights and weekends to the military, she wanted to pursue more of a 9-to-5 career, but public relations didn’t quench her thirst for learning and teaching. In 2021, she joined CCRI as an adjunct professor to launch her career in teaching.

“I was a little bit older when I was in the Navy, so a lot of my sailors were kids – 18, 19, 20 years old – and I got to learn from them, and help them, and connect with them,” O’Rourke said. “That was such a gratifying experience. When I joined the military, I didn’t know much about it. When I joined college, I didn’t know anything about it. I’m the first in my family to go to college. That’s why I didn’t major in anything at CCRI because I didn’t know.

“For my students, it feels really good for me to say, ‘Here’s what I learned and here’s what you need to do to get a step ahead.’ That felt really nice to show up in that way.”

O’Rourke credits her time in the Navy with teaching her important lessons about adaptability and perseverance that she applies to her life in and out of the classroom.

“The military does a really good job of preparing you in a lot of different ways, not only for what you’re supposed to do but how you can feel and emotionally react to certain situations. I was much calmer than I thought I would be in tense situations, which was something I had to learn as I experienced it,” she said.

“I learned a lot of self-efficacy. Even if the situation is tough and you think there’s no way you can do it, you find a way. That has really served me in my life in so many other circumstances. I never thought I could live on a boat and do all these things, but you find a way and survive.”

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