March is Women’s History Month, and the theme this year is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.”
To celebrate the stories of women in the learning and development field and multiple education spaces, we reached out to internal and external partners and thought leaders to talk to them about their professional lives and the stories that have inspired them.
At ansrsource, we believe in the power of storytelling to educate, connect, and enrich people’s lives. We are grateful to the women who chose to share their stories with us. We hope you enjoy learning about the women we spoke with as much as we loved speaking with them.
Happy Women’s History Month!
Jana Brunken, Senior Learning Architect at ansrsource
What is your favorite part about working in Learning and Development?
I am passionate about harnessing technology to create learning experiences that meet the needs of learners from all walks of life. I love partnering with subject matter experts and clients to ensure that learning solutions effectively attract interest, communicate the message, and engage the learner.
Is there a woman you looked up to as a child?
As I child, I was fascinated with Helen Keller, the author, political activist, and disability rights advocate who lost her sight and hearing as a young child. I can only imagine what a scary place the world was for young Helen, and I am inspired by her determination to make her voice heard. The story of her dedicated teacher, Anne Sullivan, also taught me the importance of perseverance and creativity in education—without someone like Anne advocating for her and being willing to think outside the box to make learning accessible for her, Helen’s gifts would have been locked away forever.
Do you have a favorite children’s book?
As a parent of young children, I have a new appreciation for children’s books and find myself going down internet deep dives to discover books that are easy to read aloud, have interesting pictures, and inspiring messages. While it’s too hard to pick an absolute favorite, a picture book that my daughter and I both enjoy right now is This is Sadie by Sara O’Leary and Julie Morstad. The main character goes on many imaginary adventures, all before her parents wake up in the morning: “Sadie has learned to be quiet in the morning because old people need a lot of sleep.” The way the illustrations depict the adventures, the narration integrates clever humor, and the tale praises imaginative stories inspires me to pause my ever-growing to-do list for a bit to join my daughter in her pretend play.
Is there a book you’d recommend everyone read?
Bryan Stevenson’s memoir, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, radically altered my viewpoint on structural racism and criminal justice in the U.S. If you are privileged enough to be unfamiliar with the justice system, you might be just as surprised as I was about how unjust the system really is. While I still don’t have all the answers about how to bring equity to our communities, reading this book has invited me to question and push back against the systems and stereotypes that hold us hostage. (If you’re not a reader, there is also a 2019 movie adaptation; however, the book is better ????)
About Jana Brunken:
Jana Brunken has an eye for design, a mind for strategy, and a heart for education. She is currently a Senior Learning Architect at ansrsource.
About ansrsource:
ansrsource designs, develops, and delivers customized learning experiences with speed, scale, and sophistication. We provide learning consulting, design, and delivery services using our full-time team of hundreds of passionate global experts. We serve millions of learners using all major learning methodologies and technologies. Almost 20 years of experience working with the most compelling ideas in digital education has resulted in an unrivaled team, methodology, and process.
