Student-athlete Jaime Bilotti ’20 always had a passion for music and envisioned herself working in the music industry, but when she couldn’t afford to attend a private college with a dedicated music program, she redirected her plans and found her way to John Jay. “Studying law at John Jay was the perfect path for me. Being able to understand contracts and truly understand how the relationship between law and society happens within the music industry is so important,” says Bilotti noting how a degree in Law and Society could lead to her music industry dreams. “All the business law classes I have taken at John Jay could not have prepared me better for the career I want.”

When you first came to John Jay, what were some of your biggest challenges? How did you overcome them?
One of my biggest challenges was commuting, since I live out on Staten Island. I had to master time management very quickly. Being on the Women’s Soccer team we had practice every day at 7:00 a.m. That meant, every day you’d find me at the bus stop at 5:00 in the morning. The schedule had me in a rhythm of not taking time to really enjoy the City, so I made a choice to go out of my way, each day, to see or do something that wasn’t part of my normal schedule. That meant getting coffee, going down a street I had never walked on before, or taking a new way home. I was also diagnosed with Lyme Disease during my freshman year and that made it hard to eat, sleep, and get to school. But I’m mentally tough and overcame it and the limitations people wanted to put on me.

If you had to point to one organization, cohort, or person at John Jay that made your experience especially fulfilling, who would it be and why?
It would have to be the Athletics Department, including my soccer teammates, my coaches, and really everyone in the Athletics staff. Coach Casey, Aj, and Agath have been with me through my entire John Jay journey alongside Carol Kashow and Brandon Fieland. My advisors in the department were also there every step of the way motivating me to excel. When you’re a student-athlete, during your freshman year you have weekly Student-Athlete Retention & Graduation Effort Program (SARGE) meetings with advisors. I remember sitting in on those meetings, joking and telling my advisors—at the time that was Corey Berg and Gabby Dominguez—about how I wanted to be an intern in the music industry and how I’d make it happen. Fast forward to my last two years at John Jay, and I’m sitting with Deeana Sannuti, my current advisor, and those jokes and dreams have turned into reality. I owe so much to them because they not only listened to me, they also helped me through every obstacle I faced. The Athletics Department at John Jay gave me the tools to believe in myself and just go for my dreams, even when I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be.

What’s your favorite and most memorable story about your time with your teammates in the Athletics Department?
Winning this year’s CUNYAC Women’s Soccer Championship is definitely my favorite memory. With the help of my entire team I was able to score the equalizer goal, and later my teammate, Kim Robeldo, scored the winning goal in the final minute of the game. It wasn’t just scoring the goal, but how the goal was celebrated. All year, the support of all of my teammates kept me motivated and in the game. Teammates like Jillian Goldenn, Katie Healy, Brittany Shaneburger and Kristalina Banuelos motivated to perform at my highest level. Really, I wish I could name the entire team roster because without them my College experience wouldn’t have been as fulfilling.

Is there a particular fellowship or internship experience that helped shape you as a person? What did that experience teach you?
I have had really wonderful internships with record companies over the last four years, but my internship with Atlantic Records was incredible. I was able to gain valuable experiences and learn so much by working with both the International Marketing and Promotions Departments. I was lucky to have supervisors who wanted to help me become the best professional version of myself. They also helped me reach some of my personal goals, like helping one of my favorite bands before their performance at Radio City Music Hall. What’s really amazing to me is that I applied to the position after being turned down for three other internships earlier that day. So, the noes made way for this amazing experience that has had such a positive impact on who I am today. It reaffirmed something that I learned playing soccer, when you get knocked down you got to get back up and try again. Interning at Atlantic Records solidified for me that the music industry is the right industry for me, that my dreams are attainable and that I was pursuing the right path.   

What do you hope to do after you graduate from John Jay?
I would love to work at a major record label. I have been lucky. People have taken a chance on me and have taught me so much about the music industry—and I’m looking forward to learning more. My hope is to become a manager in the music industry where I can help artists reach their dreams. I think it’s the coolest job in the world. You get to have a hand in the creation, production, and distribution of someone’s music.

Finish this sentence: Without John Jay…
Without John Jay, I would have never been pushed outside my comfort zone to grow as a person, a student, a soccer player, and a professional. I became more confident in my abilities and know I can make my dreams come true. I had internships in the music industry, an industry I always dreamed of working in, and I was surrounded by some of the best people throughout these last four years.