Jamilah Brewington

Administrative Assistant
Division of Integrated Marketing & Branding
Years at UNLV: 4
Family: Two sons. Deimoni Brewington is a sophomore studying musical theater at Howard University. Anias Brewington is a freshman biology major at Grambling State University with plans to come to UNLV as a medical student in 2020.

Jamilah Brewington was nominated for the Women’s Council Spotlight no doubt because of her always positive outlook and ability to stay calm in a crisis. She got her foot into UNLV’s door as a temp worker and was offered a full-time job within a month. In December, she added alumnus to her credentials by getting a bachelor's degree in psychology.

What did you do before you started working at UNLV?

I worked at MGM Grand as an administrative office manager over housekeeping. It was a massive operation with over a thousand employees. It was great pay and benefits but I had really chaotic 60-hour work weeks. I just never had the peace of mind and joy of coming to work even though the people there were great.

Do you have joy here?

I have joy here every day. In four years, I’ve been through several leadership transitions but I’ve always been in good hands. I thoroughly enjoy working for Vince (Alberta, vice president of Integrated Marketing and Branding). I like his management style. And I have the benefit of working with Isabelle (Johnson, executive assistant); I call her my good neighbor.

Why did you wear what you’re wearing today?

It’s Friday! I always wear Rebel red on Fridays. I’m genuinely proud to show Rebel spirit.

Are you a dog person, cat person, or something else?

I love turtles. I’ve never owned a turtle but I want one. Ever since watching Nemo I’ve wanted a turtle like the character Crush. I had goldfish growing up and just love sea animals.

Advice you have for young women starting careers on campus.

I would say make a point to meet other people, to go out for coffee with those you communicate with on a regular basis.

One day when I’d been here one or two years, I was at a big campuswide meeting and met someone in person for the first time — someone I interacted with at least five times a week. It really amazed me that until then I had no idea what she looked like. I try not to let that happen now. We can get so inundated with our work that we forget that we work with people and we need to build relationships with them.

What trait do you most like about yourself?

That I’m patient. I don’t always do it intentionally. I like that it’s a quality that other people like about me. I’m calm and don’t overreact. Nothing gets under my skin instantly. I can stay calm in a crisis.

What trait would you like to change?

One that I want to share with other people? Hmmm.

It’s not that I want to change something about me — not to say I’m perfect — but there are always things I’m working on. Like, I’m patient but when I get angry, I get angry. I’m steaming so much I’m in tears. But that’s something I’ve known about me a long time so I’ll always work on it.

You are stuck between meetings with 30 minutes to kill on campus, what do you do?

I’m gonna read a book. I always have several audio books downloaded. Right now it’s James Patterson’s Murder in Paradise. I like suspense. As soon as (Michelle Obama’s) Becoming is available to me, I’ll start that one.

What do you do on the weekends?

I watch UFC every day. And I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan. I play Words with Friends a lot, so much so that it’s how I met my boyfriend. I beat him four games to one. My average game score is 352 and average move score is 25.

Who is your unsung hero at UNLV?

Nancy Rapaport. I worked with her when she was in the senior advisor role to the president.  I think she’s awesome. She invests in people. You don’t have to be at a high level to have a relationship with her. Plus, she’s an awesome ballroom dancer.

If you could have any other job on campus, whose or what would it be?

Oh gosh, do I really want to tell people this? I’d love to work in admissions because I like kids and I like being able to empower them with the tools they need to succeed. I think admissions counselors have a very unique way of working with kids in a personal way without getting into their personal lives. I think it’d be rewarding to help get into college.

You just won the Megabucks and wanted to give back to the university. What would you support and why?

I would support admissions and our CAPS program. I know they provide great counseling services across campus to help our students.

If you could master one thing, what would it be?

Time. Definitely time. I never have enough of it.