Jolley graduated UAB with a BA in International Studies. She earned an MS in Broadcast Journalism from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is now a producer and reporter with Illinois Public Media.

Majoring in International Studies (ITS) enhanced my ability to analyze cause and effect at a political and a cultural level. This has been useful in many ways as a journalist because it helps me draw cultural parallels between international and domestic issues.

For example, my ITS background helped me accurately explain the socio-economic roots of the Dominican Republic's immigration laws while I was there on assignment. I took great pride in the confidence I gained from those affected by the law who finally felt like their stories were really being told.

The International Studies Club

Being the president of the ITS Club was one of the most enduring and rewarding times of my entire collegiate career. Working together with the club really pushed me to address pressing issues by hosting events like “Should Palestine be a State?” and “Is Rape a Form of Terrorism?” Leading the club gave me not only the confidence to ask tough questions, but an intense perspective on some of these issues, which members of the club witnessed first hand in their home countries.

Life after Graduation

I've been working at Illinois Public Media (IPM) as a producer and reporter for one year. I started working at IPM as an intern during my last semester of graduate school, and was hired on full-time after I graduated in December 2014. Now, I produce Morning Edition and report on social justice issues. My latest story follows the rise of hate groups across Illinois in the last 10 years.