Jasmine joined the YES! Team at Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (ACGC) in 2009 and participated as a student until 2014 and then coached the ACGC YES! Team for the 2014-2015 school year. During her 6 years in YES!, Jasmine worked on a multitude of projects ranging from education to reducing waste, from building a garden to improving recycling. She also worked to raise funds for all of these activities.
Jasmine notes, “I enjoyed taking on so many projects in my time with YES!, but some of my favorites were the ones that everyone could see the results. One of the biggest, most noticeable projects at our school was our school garden. This project was worked on through most of the school year and over the summer and provided our students with fresh produce from the garden. I also had the opportunity to give back to the YES! organization my senior year. I traveled to St. Paul with Johnathan Morales and Dave Pederson to speak on behalf of YES! at the state capitol, which helped extend YES! to Northeastern Minnesota.”
Like many members of YES!, Jasmine is enthusiastic about her favorite aspect of YES!-the events. Jasmine states ,”While I was in YES! my favorite activities were the summits where we had the chance to network with colleges, businesses, and fellow YES! teams”.
Jasmine goes on to say, “I think that YES! was an outlet for me to excel in all my interests. YES! let me hone in on my networking and public speaking skills while doing something that I have a passion for. I am following my passion for nature by working towards a degree in biology, and then a career in either environmental education or nature conservation. Through YES! I was able to see first-hand what careers I could pursue with my love of biology.”
We are very proud to have Jasmine as a alumnus of YES! and are thankful she feels the same way. Jasmine reflects, “I do not think that I can stress how important organizations like YES! are in developing well-rounded young adults. I think that learning by doing is the perfect motto for this organization-YES! has students going out and making changes in their communities. I think that by teaching young students they can make a difference, YES! is empowering new generations to be the leaders of the future. I look forward to hearing about future projects by students!”
Thanks for sharing, Jasmine! We love hearing from YES! alumni and are so thankful for all the wonderful work you have done as a student and coach.
