Written by: Cat Dismukes
“Home is a relative concept,” shared Jasmine Ashby, a senior who has spent the majority of her life moving between countries including Norway, Indonesia and Singapore. From the smile on her face and the excitement in her voice, Jasmine has clearly found a home here at Ohio State as well. How did she choose Ohio State after all this world traveling? Jasmine discovered her love for Ohio State while visiting on Go Buckeye Day. Overwhelmed by the passionate people surrounding her, Jasmine’s Buckeye fever set in.
Jasmine’s own passions have been able to flourish at the university while she earns a dual degree in Economics and International Studies focusing on Development Studies with a minor in Public Health. Not only does she juggle three areas of study, but she has served as a resident advisor, a mentor for the Program for Advising in Scholarship and Service, the treasurer for Operation Smile, a Buck-I-SERV leader and a member of the Council of Black Student Leaders. Jasmine was prepared for our follow-up question: how do you manage all of those commitments? Letting us in on her secret, she explained that deadlines and pressures of a busy schedule motivate her to stay on track. Jasmine joked that nothing gets done on the weekends because of all the free time on her hands.
Jasmine’s future goals are rooted in creating lasting connections through international service. Fully immersing herself in the culture of those she helps is incredibly important; she wants to learn the language, interact and form relationships that will enhance the lives of others long-term. She wants to not only provide hands-on aid, but later create public policy to benefit the people she helped. Jasmine plans to take on fifteen years of international service and eventually obtain a PhD, putting knowledge to use through public policy.
While her goals are vast and also well-planned, she was still intimidated with Ohio State’s size as a freshman. “Ohio State was intimidating at first,” she thought. “But you find niches.” It’s just like walking on The Oval: the large university is in front of you, but you always end up seeing familiar faces along the way. During her time as a resident advisor, Jasmine has made sure to reach out to her residents so others can have those familiar faces as well. Connections are an integral theme of her time at Ohio State that she will carry into her post-graduate life. “Let your experiences shape your college career,” she advised. Whether you are a first year, fifth year or anything in between, Jasmine’s philosophy for students is to approach college with an open-mind and a willingness to expand themselves.