SRA Alum on Staff: Jasmine Mack
SRA is celebrating our SRA Alums who are now on staff!
Hear from SRA Alum and Advisor Jasmine Mack. Jasmine is a Students Rising Above Alum from the Class of 2009. She attended CSU Chico. She looks forward to growing as an Advisor and supporting students both personally and academically.
Read the full story below:
How did you start working for SRA?
I am a SRA Alum and first learned of the position through an email from SRA recruiting for the position of Rising Star, Advisor. At the time of the position posting, I had been thinking about ways to expand my own aspiration to support students in other capacities outside of teaching. So when I received the job notification I felt like this was a perfect opportunity for me to give back to SRA and support students like me with their transition to college.
Tell us about your current role!
My current role is Rising Star Advisor. I support 5 high school seniors with everything related to applying to college, balancing high school, and planning for their future. Through this role I interact with some amazing students who are super hardworking and driven to be successful, despite their circumstances. A huge part of this role is cultivating a strong relationship so that students feel that they can count on me during their college journey.
What’s your favorite part about being an SRA Advisor?
My favorite part about being an advisor is getting to know my students and hearing about their aspirations and excitement for college. We’re currently at the time of the year where students are starting to receive their acceptances into the colleges that they applied to. This has been very exciting for me because the reality of what’s next for them is really settling in. Their dreams are becoming a reality and they are all getting ready to make some really important decisions. I feel honored to support them along the way.
How have you adapted to the virtual work environment – do you have any advice for others?
I have adapted to the virtual work environment quite well. My role as a teacher has definitely changed and prepared me for it. Most importantly it’s helped me with being able to make my role as an Advisor more enjoyable. I have also been able to get a little more creative with activities for my students. I think my advice for others would be to have fun with and embrace the opportunities that we have to still connect with our students and peers.
How do you feel you have grown since your time being in the SRA Program to now working for SRA?
One of the ways in which I feel like I have grown with SRA is by having better time management. Because the job is flexible and I am working with students who attend different schools, have different work schedules, and volunteer schedules I have had to develop a schedule that ensures I am meeting with students regularly. Google calendar has definitely helped a lot with this, but aside from that I feel like it’s forced me to have a more concise schedule, that dedicates time to each student and time for other requirements for the position.
Do you have anything you’d like to share with our students and/or community?
SRA is an amazing place to work. I am often amazed by the amount of people on the team who are Alum. I think this speaks to not only the mission and vision of the organization, but also to the way that students feel about the organization. They are so bought in that they feel welcomed to join the staff.
