Page 26 - Fiji Traveller Issue 3

A woman of the metaverse

Jasmine Yee Joy Bland

By Samantha Magick

When Los Angeles based Jasmine Yee Joy Bland finished speaking to a group of Fijian
highschoolers recently, she was swarmed by girls wanting to ask further questions and take
selfies together.
Bland had featured on a panel organised by Fiji Fashion Week, describing her career as a
data analyst and opportunities in the field. For the audience of young women, most of whom
admitted to not liking maths, it was eye-opening.
As Global Marketing Services Lead at media communications agency, OMD Worldwide,
Bland says her role combines both sides of the brain. “Maybe this will make you like maths
a little more,” she told her rapt audience, continuing there were more opportunities in the
field than being a statistician or accountant.
So how did this Fiji girl find herself working on global accounts such as Apple?
Bland laughingly says she has ‘many exes’ in Fiji; she is ex-Yat Sen, ex-Mount St Mary’s,
ex-Natabua and ex-St Joseph's. She also spent a year schooling in Australia, and says
“bringing all of that together, that kind of shaped me.”
Fiji’s education system is often maligned, but Bland believes it has given her an edge. She

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