Getting to know...

Sam Hughes

Sam and Ian Hughes — Photo courtesy of Sam Hughes

The St. Jude Program Manager on moving to the city, living in East Memphis and singing in a community chorus.

MY ROLE AT ST. JUDE

I’m the program manager for St. Jude’s new center for experimental neurotherapeutics. It’s part of a broader initiative, a blue-sky effort to expand the reach of St. Jude to children with catastrophic neurological diseases. I helped to build the operational foundation for the center, and to vet different partnerships with external groups, among other things. In so many roles at St. Jude, there are opportunities to engage with other groups and get to know the work and the people who do it. It has a family-style environment. At my orientation, the first people who greeted me were members of the Pride employee resource group, which made me feel comfortable from day one.

MY JOURNEY TO MEMPHIS

I’ve been here for about a year and a half. Before coming to St. Jude, I was in Dallas, Texas and had been with the same employer, a major university system, for about 10 years. I wasn’t really looking for a new job and had never lived outside of Texas. But this potential position was mentioned to me and the more I learned about it, the more it seemed like a great professional opportunity. So, I applied and got the job.

In no time, my husband and I were buying a house for the first time and moving out of state. It felt like a whirlwind; but as far as transitions go, Memphis made it easy. Our neighbors were just so… neighborly, in ways that we weren’t used to. We felt a connection and they’ve become friends over the last year. The people here have really made the whole relocation process that much easier.

Our neighbors were just so… neighborly, in ways that we weren’t used to. We felt a connection and they’ve become friends over the last year. The people here have really made the whole relocation process that much easier.

Sam Hughes

Program Manager

East Memphis

MY COMMUNITY, MY VOICE

We live in East Memphis and my husband and I like to say that we’re five to 15 minutes away from anywhere we’d want to be. Memphis is the best of both worlds—amenities at arm’s length but also this feeling of family. You can find your community and you don’t have to go far to meet them. Memphis is very welcoming and not stuffy at all.

When we moved here, I immediately reached out to the Memphis Symphony Chorus and told them I was interested. I auditioned last August and have been a member ever since. It has been a really great experience. The music scene here is diverse and the community embraces multiple musical cultures and shines a light on new and different sounds.