The Classmate Project
Assigned a random classmate, an ordinary person becomes interesting through a photojournalism profile of their life.
UW student Jada Rowe is an enigma. Closely guarded and minimally expressive in public, she
comes to life around friends and family. Though seeing her emotions and thoughts expressed
on her face is rare, there are moments where she lowers her guard. A quick smile, a toss of the
head and once again she’s hard to read. The more one gets to know her, the more layers are
peeled away, exposing the person inside.
Rowe sits for a posed portrait. Often reserved in public, she admits that she’s not very
expressive. (Calla Shosh)
Rowe cooks beef and potato casserole for dinner in the apartment that she shares with her boyfriend and her freshman roommate. Rowe has a passion for cooking, but due to busy schedules, mostly makes food in her crockpot. Though Rowe knows that others may not consider crock pot meals cooking, “It’s what works for us,” she said.
As a photography minor, Rowe is passionate about black and white film photography. It’s one of the few conversation topics that always makes her smile. “My mom did lots of photography and
loved taking pictures,” Rowe said. “It was almost torture…Then I started to like it. It’s the only art style I really like. I can’t draw for the life of me, but photography, it's one thing I can do.”
Rowe and her boyfriend, Tyler Kerr attend a UW Women’s Basketball game together. They routinely go to the games, finding a spot to sit away from the crowds. Both Rowe and Kerr enjoy
watching basketball.
Rowe edits her photos in a rare moment of down time. “I just try to find things that are visually
compelling,” Rowe said. “There’s no underlying meaning.” Rowe frequently incorporates movement into her personal photography work.
Rowe laughs in response to a coworker’s joke. Rowe works at the front desk at Coe Library.
This shadow box is from Rowe’s sister, Savannah Moore’s marriage. Rowe was a bridesmaid and is very close to her sister. Though there is a significant age gap between them, Moore is
closest in age to Rowe out of Rowe’s other sisters and they spend a fair bit of their adulthood together.
Rowe enjoys “chillin” on a Saturday night. Rowe sits down to watch a show. “I like the older shows, early to late 90s’
, early 2000s tv shows,” Rowe said. “I just think they’re fun, and I like the actors. ” Some of Rowe’s favorite shows include “Friends,“ "Gray’s Anatomy,” “Gilmore Girls,” and “The Big Bang Theory.”
One of Rowe’s favorite classes at UW is her Arapaho Language class. Rowe isn’t Arapaho, she’s a Cherokee Native, though she’s often mistaken for Asian due to her light skin. She enjoys learning about different Native tribes. “I can connect with Natives out here [in Wyoming] in a way that I feel like I can connect with my own [ancestors].”