Jasmine Jackson’s path to becoming a nurse began long before she stepped into a classroom. Growing up in Chicago, she became a caregiver at an early age when she helped her ailing grandmother with such things as meals and laundry.

“I’ve always been a caretaker,” she shares. “It just comes naturally; I want to make sure everyone is OK.”

Scholarships gave me the time to study and be present. This career is serious, and I need to have the knowledge in my head, not just in a textbook.

—Jasmine Jackson

Now enrolled in the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program at Fox Valley Technical College, Jasmine balances her studies with being a mother to two children while also working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at Brewster Village next door to the FVTC Appleton campus.

“It feels like home when I’m there,” she says. “I am not just caring for patients. I am caring for someone’s grandmother or grandfather.”

Jasmine is even more passionate about her future. After she completes the ADN program, she would like to work in an ICU or tap into her Forensic Science degree and become a Forensic Registered Nurse, supporting victims of trauma.

“I want to be a chameleon in nursing,” Jasmine explains. “I feel I have a gift for detail and emotional control and I want to use that wherever I’m needed.”

Scholarships awarded by Fox Valley Technical College Foundation have been a great contributor to her success. For more than 45 years, the FVTC Foundation has partnered with the college to remove financial barriers for students. With the scholarship aid chipping away at her tuition bill, Jasmine is more financially equipped to pay for childcare when she needs to focus on her studies.

“Scholarships gave me the time to study and be present,” she shares. “This career is serious, and I need to have the knowledge in my head, not just in a textbook.”