Meet Jordan Roberts | Environmentalist & Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jordan Roberts and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordan, why did you pursue a creative career?
I pursued an artistic or creative career because I noticed a lack of creative inclusion within the scientific community. I am an environmental scientist with a focus in marine biology but I also am a creative director as well as a musician. So, I combined my two passions.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I received my Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science with a focus in Marine Biology & a specialization in Digital Media and Communications. It was not easy. Being a black woman in science is hard because there’s not a lot of representation on the front lines so I was left to figure a lot out on my own. I was a NOAA CCME scholar so I had to maintain a 3.5 GPA to keep my scholarship while in school, which made it hard to make music and fuel my artistry because most of my time, energy and effort went towards making sure I didn’t lose my scholarship. I was apart of a research team that launched the first Aquatic Buoy of it’s kind. The Buoy sends data our FAMU lab in real time. This data helps us monitor the effects of climate change on the Gulf of Mexico. My research aided in the School of the Environment receiving a 30 Million Dollar grant to help fund the futures of black/ minority scientists across the nation. I still found time to make music and dropped my first single in 2018 titled There’s This Boy (Available on all platforms) which has over half a million plays and has 1,000+ listeners consistently since my best friend Morgan and I dropped it 4 years ago. Soon after, I started my band and hosted shows while I was in school as well. My drummer, Justin Chambers, passed away August 4th, 2021… a week after our first show which set me back mentally and musically because I had just stared owning my artistry. Now, I do a lot of music in his honor and I go harder each day for him. I have been creative directing as well. A day after graduation I was on set creatively directing a short film that was in the works while I was in school. I wrote and styled the characters for the film. I also coordinate & style music videos and photo shoots. I learned that it is possible to do both no matter what people projected onto my path. I now have an internship with Black In Marine Science where I get paid to make creative science content! I also serve as the Media Coordinator & Project Assistant for the Sustainability Institute at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and I plan on using the funds I accumulate from this position to invest in my music career. I have a single dropping on 11/11/22 that’s going to give people insight into the feelings that go into paving the way for female scientist and producers. I am going to use my music to give people a glimpse into what my reality feels like, sounds like and give them an opportunity to grow with me on this path. God is using me and this is only the beginning. I want the world to know that it is overly possible to combine your passions. Science and Creativity can coexist and I am creating a blueprint for the creatives out there who have a love for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). Science is art and I’ve fallen in love with the beauty of tangible evolution. I got where I am professionally today by staying grounded, consistent, humble, prayed up and by submitting to the highest version of myself. I am science. I am art. I am a byproduct of both & I plan on showing the world that everything is connected. I plan on being the change I want to see and leading by example.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love the park. The lighthouse. The beach. The Aquarium. anything in nature! I am a vegetarian so I do not consume any meat but I do love me a vegetarian alternative!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
FAMU School of the Environment as well as DomTheGoat, my music producer.

Instagram: @jordanjust

Twitter: @jordannjust

Facebook: Jordanjust

Youtube: Jordanjust