Jasmine Bush, a senior majoring in agricultural education, has a hectic academic schedule but still finds time to volunteer and mentor. Her love of animals has her on a path to become a veterinarian.
Hometown:
Colquitt, GA
High School:
Miller County High School
Degree objective:
BSA — Agricultural Education
Expected graduation:
Spring 2017
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
Attending the University of Georgia is a highlight and achievement for me. I would not choose to attend ANY other school in the world. UGA has allowed me to explore, challenge and ultimately find myself. Through all the trials and tribulations I have been faced with during my time here at UGA, I was forced to grow up, buckle my belt and dive into a new world. I have been honored to be a part of some amazing organizations on campus that in many ways have helped to sculpt me into the person I am today. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to even be considered to be among such phenomenal people who all stand for similar service-filled purposes.
I have been pleased to be a mentor through UGA’s Mentors Among Peers Program, or MAPP, to extraordinary students whom I will always remember. I also have the honor of being a puppy raiser in the Guide Dog Foundation Inc. in the Athens area. I have gained a newly found love of getting involved in service-learning projects at the Extra Special People Inc. after-school program in Watkinsville as a mentor/volunteer. I have even been granted the good fortune to participate in guest lectures at Athens Christian School in agricultural science classes where I could teach about one of my favorite hobbies: floral design. Again, this is only a minor spill on the many ways that UGA has been a true highlight in my life.
I have made unforgettable relationships with peers as well as faculty who all have a unique place in my heart. The University of Georgia has truly become a huge part of who I am, and I will always bleed red and black … FOREVER! Go Dawgs!
Current Employment:
I have been employed at the best part time job a college student can have, Racetrac, for the past two years. I am also a current part-time office assistant at the wonderful Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication.
Family Ties to UGA:
My brother Keith Cooper and first cousin Brandon Miller both attended the University of Georgia on football scholarships.
I chose to attend UGA because…
… it was a dream of my late father. When I was 14 I felt as if I had lost my entire world, my father. He talked about the University of Georgia my entire life; I knew deep down he wanted me to be here and so did I.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
One of my favorite things to do on campus is definitely visiting UGA’s North Campus when I have the time. North Campus is a place where I can really go for peace and to take a mental break from assignments. When friends or family visit Athens for the first time, I always take them on a tour of UGA’s North Campus.
When I have free time, I like…
… to spend time with my friends and animals. As a senior enrolled in 19 credit hours, along with working two part-time jobs, my social life can be somewhat nonexistent. Therefore, even if I am tired, when I have free time, I devote most of it to enjoying my friends’ company.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
… go electro-fishing in a class with Warnell professor Jay Shelton. Hearing this throughout the semester was scary and crazy enough, but being faced with waders and an electro-fishing backpack in lab on what I thought was a normal Monday was the craziest yet most exclusive thing I have done here at UGA.
My favorite place to study is…
My favorite and most efficient places to study are the study rooms in the Miller Learning Center. Whether I have a science fair project, a group teaching demonstration or multiple final exams to prepare for, MLC is my No. 1 go-to study place on campus.
My favorite professor is…
Being a student in the agricultural leadership, education and communication department makes it extremely difficult to have only one favorite professor, because they are all so amazing in their own ways. I have had the opportunity to be their student, as well as their office assistant, and they are all totally wonderful people who are very passionate about what they teach.
If I had to pick the professor I am the most thankful for getting to know it would be my magnificent advisor, Frank B. Flanders. He is an assistant professor in the ALEC department with an emphasis in agricultural education. He is overly qualified for his roles and executes them superiorly. Dr. Flanders has an array of degrees and accomplishments, and he has served in agricultural education for over 35 years. He is a remarkable advisor, friend and role model. Thank you Dr. Flanders for all you have done and continue to do to guide me toward success here at UGA.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
It would be our current president, Barack Obama. He was a true hero to my dad and still is to me. During his campaign, my dad developed a very true and passionate admiration for President Obama. Our conversations were filled with how amazing of a man my dad thought President Obama was. My dad passed away one month before President Obama was elected as president. It would be an honor and a dream to share the afternoon with our current president, Barrack Obama.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
… take on the hobby of backpacking. I have gained an interest in the hobby and have been talking to people who pursue it. It sounds amazing to be alone hiking a trail hundreds of miles long, while living off the land and only the materials you have in your backpack.
If money was not a consideration, I would love to…
… start a nonprofit no-kill animal shelter in my hometown of Colquitt, Georgia. I grew up working at my local vet’s office, Colquitt Animal Hospital, which is owned and operated by a UGA alumnus, Dr. Russell Henley. I absolutely cannot fathom the idea of euthanasia when an animal is perfectly healthy and simply needs a loving home. To prevent animals that are never adopted from going to animal heaven, I would utilize family and friends as new parents to animals on “death row.” If money was not a consideration my animal shelter would not have a “death row.”
After graduation, I plan to…
I would like to enroll in a master’s program with UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences ALEC department to obtain a Master of Agricultural and Environmental Education degree. I also have a burning desire to work for Teach for America and be relocated to an urban and poverty-stricken school district in hopes of changing at least one of my student’s blurred vision about the importance of education. I want to broadcast the unlimited opportunities available for everyone to attend and graduate college and to ultimately provide the knowledge and education to promote learning. My ultimate life goal is to become a veterinarian. I have dreamt about my life as a veterinarian since I was 7 years old. Once I feel I have accomplished my goals as an educator, I plan to apply to one of my former campus jobs, the University of Georgia Small Animal Teaching Hospital, in hopes of becoming a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
… participating in my very first “Owl Prowl” led by my Forestry and Natural Resources Lab professor, Nick Fuhrman. The Owl Prowl was something very new and different than anything I had ever done. The idea that an owl would fly in and talk back to you was very hard to believe. After an hour into our Owl Prowl, I was astonished when two barred owls flew down to us in the middle of the Whitehall Forest just to call back to us. Thanks Dr. Fuhrman for an OWLstanding time.