joanna
This page is dedicated to the loving memory of Joanna Jara, DJ Spooky - WVUM’s finest forever and ever.
“Without Joanna, I am not sure I would have been as involved in WVUM as I was and I will always be thankful for that. I was lucky to serve as Training Director when she was Program Director. She would always drive me home after an evening of hanging out in the office or an afternoon of getting some work done. In the car we would chat about life and boys but the most fun was when we would sing opera and practice our vibrato.
I miss Joanna everyday and am so grateful for the friendship we had and the good times we shared-- in the car, in the office, and everywhere in between.”
- Leah Stern
“Few words describe
the gratitude I have to have known her, to have laughed with her, and to have shared memories with her.
The last time I saw her in person was October 2019 at a WVUM party. I want you all to keep this image of Joanna in your minds, because if you knew her, you know she always went the distance with her looks and outfits. She arrived at the party looking absolutely iconic in her cowboy hat and fishnet stockings.
I have confidence knowing that this is how she would have wanted to be remembered: looking fabulous, makeup done to perfection, laughing happily, and being carefree.”
- Juliana Byers
“WVUM is a special place
that attracts many young minds with ecstatic, friendly, tasteful, intelligent, and humorous personalities. It's easy to say that perhaps no one exhibited these eccentric qualities all at once more than Joanna."
“Being a part of WVUM by far is what made me happiest during my time as a young adult and student at UM. I joined the station the first day of school my freshman year- at the same time as my late friend Joanna Jara. Throughout my time at the radio station my friends there became like a family with WVUM's office being a home away from home. WVUM is a special place that attracts many young minds with ecstatic, friendly, tasteful, intelligent, and humorous personalities. It's easy to say that perhaps no one exhibited these eccentric qualities all at once more than Joanna.
She always provoked happiness and lightheartedness whenever our small radio family was hanging out in the office, which was often. Those are the moments that will forever sadden me because I know I will never get them back. Joanna was fearless, and the courage and strength she had to live joyously and bring out joy in others while simultaneously battling cancer is a quality that I have never seen in another person. I'm happy that I was able to be her friend, and the feeling of her loss I still cannot describe. I know that she truly cared for and wanted the best for others. The world lost a beautiful person.”
- Lucas Martinez
“There has never been such an infectious enthusiasm and joy in my life as Joanna’s.”
“When I met Joanna, my first (and totally off-base) impression was that she was shy. That’s it—just shy. Not especially talkative or eager. I remember that, but not much else about the early stages of our friendship. So natural and easy was our progression from casual acquaintances to incredible, lifelong friends that I didn’t even notice it was happening. One day I looked at her sitting at the table across from me and realized we had crossed the threshold long ago.
There has never been such an infectious enthusiasm and joy in my life as Joanna’s. I remember one moment in particular that was etched into my memory forever. It was at one of our WVUM general body meetings—it must have been 2017, because she was the Training Director at that time. Each member of the board had a turn to speak and make their announcements. They each went ahead and said their two-to-three minute piece to forty or so new and veteran station members. Pitch applications are due next week! We’re looking for a new t-shirt design! We would love for you to join music/news/underwriting staff!
All of these things were important, to be sure, but I had heard them several times since I joined the station in 2015, so I was mostly there for moral support and to enjoy the company of my friends. Then, when it was the Training Director’s turn to speak, something happened that I had not heard before. I wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. I recall the way Joanna strut down the steps past me to the front of the auditorium and called out something like ‘All right folks, here’s the Deal!’
She proceeded to give the kind of speech you would expect of your greatest political hero. I don’t remember exactly what she said, though I believe she was encouraging everyone to pitch for a specialty show, if they so wished, and that they were capable. But I remember how I felt and the way everyone reacted around me. By the time she was done, everyone was whooping and hollering and shouting. I had never seen anything like it—it was equal parts comical and inspiring. Comical, I think, because of her carefree demeanor: as though for her, the very act of delivering such an exorbitant speech was a joke in itself.
It changed the mood of the entire group for the rest of the evening—in retrospect, this is something she did frequently. In any case, this is just my own reflection of an experience shared by some forty or fifty people. Joanna’s message prevailed and rang in my ears for some time later:
“Do this, because it’s fun, and
because it’s worth it, and because you can.”
