CJ Jessie arrived at Virginia Tech as a student with a love for film, but was soon captivated by the stage. While studying film and cinematography, a passion for theatre led her to the Moss Arts Center, where she joined its production team as a student employee eager to learn.

What started as an opportunity to gain hands-on skills ignited a new creative pursuit that reshaped her career path.

“At the very least, it was giving me legitimate professional experiences,” Jessie said of her beginnings at the Moss. “I was given the opportunity to exist with working people and learn different techniques and different ways of building things and thinking about things. It was really cool to be able to learn theory as a student and then come apply it, like, the same day or the next day.”

As her responsibilities grew, she found her place on the lighting team.

“I was both drawn to and always ready to fill the needs when lighting was happening,” she said. “I just sort of fell in love with lighting while working on my degree in film, and then I realized right around graduation time that I prefer lighting and I want to do that instead. I did finish my film degree and then decided that I was going to learn everything I can about lighting.”

After graduating from Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture, Arts, and Design in 2018, she was offered a full-time job at Moss that would allow her to focus on lighting design. She took it and hit the ground running.

Doing lighting work for professional shows, Jessie said, is similar to computer programming — a technician choreographs the lighting sequence, inputting those sequences into a computer to be executed at exact times during a performance. There are many approaches to this process, so the more professionals Jessie engages with, the more techniques she learns.

“I was actually lighting programming many of the shows that were that were coming into the building right out of graduation,” Jessie said. “I was working even more closely with professionals and picking up tips and tricks from them right out of school. It was great to dive right in. And the great thing about what we do is that we get so many different artists here, and I could pick their brain on what works for them and ask them about their careers.”

Since becoming a full-time Moss staff member, Jessie has been promoted to senior lighting technician and is currently completing a Master of Fine Arts in theatre with a concentration in lighting design at Virginia Tech. Her Moss experiences also have helped her explore possible future career directions.

“This job has helped me figure out what parts of theatre entertainment I like better and who in the industry I prefer working with and what types of shows I love. I really like expression — just forms of emotional expression and theatrical design. If I ever choose to move on from my position, I think I would probably start working with either dance troupes or music groups. Whenever we have those shows, I am excited and gravitate and put all of my energy into them,” she said. “Music groups, they're usually just like, ‘Can you match our vibe?’ I get more creative freedom as the programmer for music groups, and I have found that I have a passion for creating and trying to just build an atmosphere that goes with the music group and fits with their sound.”

From a film student stepping into the theatre world to a seasoned lighting technician, Jessie’s Moss Arts Center journey has not only provided a foundation for her technical skills but also helped her connect with what inspires her as she continues to grow in her career.

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