LEARNING TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE

Jasmine Jones sees a need for more healthcare leaders advocating for social justice and health equity, and she is determined to fill that void. “Whatʼs important to me is helping the underserved,” she says.

A third-year BSN student with a minor in Creative Writing, Jasmine credits her participation in the Macy Undergraduate Leadership Fellows Program with preparing her to be an effective and socially responsible leader.

“We learned that it is okay to be uncomfortable. A lot of times people stray away from conflict, and you donʼt really want to do that, because thatʼs where change occurs,” she says.

A FOCUS ON SOCIAL JUSTICE

As an African-American woman growing up in a single parent home, Jones learned to stand up for herself and others. “I was picked on for being different and being loud and having a voice, and Iʼm glad that happened because it allows me to think back now on why social justice is important,” she says.

BUILDING A CAREER STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART

From her co-op at Drexelʼs Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services to her participation in Drexelʼs Inside Out Prison Exchange program, where she helped prison inmates write their memoirs, Jones is living what she calls her “heart work.” Deeply troubled by the stories of poor healthcare she heard from inmates, she is determined to pursue a career as a correctional nurse and seek needed reform.