MBSP Senior Farewell: Jasmine Moore

Senior Jasmine Moore remembers the people and programs that contributed to her experience as a KU Multicultural Business Scholar

Jasmine Moore

Major: Information Systems
Minors: Spanish, business analytics

One of my favorite moments at KU was the 2019 Jayhawk Impact Awards, where our student organization, Gifted Empowered Motivated Sisters (GEMS) earned four awards. In 2019, GEMS was founded and focused hard on what students wanted from our organization as we also learned about ourselves as leaders — both of which were challenging in our first year of existence. Seeing it all come together and seeing the great impact GEMS had on everyone else through these awards was so heartwarming and overwhelming. Everyone on the executive board at the time became family and being able to celebrate and share that moment with them there was even better; it was incredible and unforgettable.

Thinking on mentors who have significantly impacted my experience at KU, I would definitely have to thank Paige Freeman, Nikita Haynie, and Steven Johnson Jr. Each of them really encouraged and challenged me in different ways and ultimately helped me become the confident leader and individual I am today. Professionally, they pushed me out of my comfort zone, into many different leadership positions and opportunities I would have never even thought to take advantage of and ultimately helped me to understand the importance of making my voice heard in spaces, especially as a Black woman. But personally, they also felt like family and someone I always knew I would have in my corner. They are certainly not the only people, and I’m extremely grateful for everyone that contributed to my KU experience, but these three will always hold a special place in my heart.

The best advice I can give to incoming students is to do what you love and what you are interested in, regardless of if there’s not anyone next to you to do it with. So often during my first few years, I found myself saying “I really want to do this, but I don’t want to go alone,” or “I don’t know if I’m ready yet,” and I ended up missing out on many things I truly enjoyed because of that. When you set your mind to do what is best for you and what truly makes you happy, you’ll discover not only the immense confidence you gain from it, but you’ll also realize that you’re bound to find at least one person or resource to help you with whatever you’re looking for. That one person may connect you with another two or three, and then eventually you have your own community and that’s the best feeling.