Jenneca Graber-Grace is a staff specialist who has been working with CCFP since mid-September 2023. She helps researchers, faculty, and staff process expenses, supports the communications team, and also works on graphic design and photography for Center events.
Learn more about Jenneca's work in our CCFP Community Spotlight below.
What were you doing prior to CCFP?
I moved to Durham in 2019 after getting my Masters of Teaching to be near family, and taught high school English and creative writing for three years at Southern School of Energy & Sustainability (mainly 10th grade). After that, I worked at a local nonprofit for a year managing their youth programs and marketing before making my way to CCFP.
What have you spent most of your time on recently? Is there a part of your job you’re particularly excited about?
Recently, a lot of Concur, but I am definitely more excited about the video I have been working on to promote CCFP's Morris Fellowship! I have been working with the current Morris Fellows, as well as Mark Hart and his team, to create a video comprised mainly of testimonials from students and mentors that will showcase the amazing research projects our students are dedicated to, and hopefully inspire more students to apply for the fellowship in the future.
What are you most proud of so far in terms of your work at CCFP?
After being employed by the center for only a few months, our Communications Director, Sarah Brantley, entrusted me with doing a lot of the work to create CCFP's most recent Annual Report. I appreciate the Communications team for trusting me so immediately with creating such a forward-facing product as such a new member of the team and love how the report turned out. Check it out on our website!
What was your first ever job?
My first job was as a summer camp counselor at 4-H Camp in Virginia! I was on the theater team and now have many fun improv games in my back pocket. I worked at various summer camps since then, my favorite being an all-girls trip-based adventure camp in just outside of Asheville, North Carolina, where I lead multi-day hiking and rock climbing trips for girls ages 7-17.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
When I was in graduate school at UVA working on my Masters of Teaching, we were discussing classroom management when our professor told us that when a student says or does something that may be upsetting or hurtful, it's important to remember that it's almost never personal. I found this to be extremely helpful not only in my years of teaching, but actually applicable to most professional relationships in my life—people always have stuff going on that they bring everywhere, and it is almost never about you.
What’s your favorite movie (or movies)?
I have two favorite movies and they are very different. The first is a childhood favorite for which my love has only grown with time: the 2005 animated classic Robots, starring the iconic Robin Williams and Ewan McGregor. The writing is hilarious and the animation is so creative—I notice new details every time I watch it. My other favorite is Booksmart, directed by Olivia Wilde. It's the perfect combination of funny and heartfelt for me.
Do you have any pets?
I have a nine year old beagle named Mr. Allen Rickman, MFA. He loves to sniff all the smells, eat anything he can reach, and attempt to escape the backyard!
Are there any fun facts about yourself you’d be willing to share?
This fun fact is more about my family, but my dad won a U.S. Supreme Court case defending my mom, and it's the reason people are allowed to publicly assemble in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in D.C. It's called U.S. v. Grace!