Scholarships helped Owen prepare for career

By Alex Ramirez

Thanks to Anderson University’s financial aid and scholarship programs, students such as Jasmine Owen have attended AU and thrived, earning strong grades, undertaking ambitious studies, and receiving job offers before graduation.

“I’ve grown in my professionalism and the way I present myself,” says Owen, who’s majoring in communication and psychology.

“I’m a people person,” says Owen, explaining why she chose her two majors. “That’s what attracted me to my communication degree. I love seeing the different ways people communicate and being able to put myself out there. And with psychology, I like interpreting the ways people communicate, how they think, and how they perceive things. I really thought it would be interesting to combine the two.”

I’m a people person. That’s what attracted me to my communication degree. I love seeing the different ways people communicate and being able to put myself out there. And with psychology, I like interpreting the ways people communicate, how they think, and how they perceive things. I really thought it would be interesting to combine the two.”

The communication department gave Owen hands-on experience with video production and taught her to advocate for an organization as a publicist and spokesperson. The psychology department offers a number of research opportunities for students, emphasizing one-on-one mentorship with a faculty member.

“Our department and its classroom experiences have been enriched because of Jasmine,” says psychology professor Dr. Patricia Slaughter. “I am impressed with her ability to engage the course material in thoughtful, meaningful ways. In addition, she frequently looks for ways to connect and integrate the things we discuss in one class session, for example, with content from other class sessions or other classes entirely. Her hard work, motivation to learn, positive attitude, and thoughtful reflection of course material serve as great examples for current and incoming students.”

A senior who graduates in May 2017, Owen has already lined up a job as a military counselor in the Air Force.

Owens is also a proud ambassador for AU, introducing interested high school students and new students to Anderson’s campus. She aims to make them feel comfortable and “make Anderson feel like home for them like it has been for me,” she says. Over half of Owen’s tuition is covered by Anderson University’s financial aid office through academic scholarships for all her academic achievements and hard work. Owen adds that the academic scholarship offers from Anderson’s admissions office encouraged her to enroll.

“I worked very hard for my grades, and Anderson rewarding me for that was a bridge” to her joining the university, she says.

“My time at AU has increased my faith,” adds Owen. “When you’re younger, you adopt your parents’ faith. But I’ve been able to find God in my own way and it’s definitely helped my life.” The Charleston, South Carolina, native was originally going to attend another university in the state. Then, in her last three weeks of high school, she learned more about AU at a college fair.

“It really sparked my interest. I literally said to my parents ‘Can we go visit?’” she said. After a trip to the campus, Owen realized “I need to be here,” she said and enrolled right away.

While Anderson made an impact on Owen, she’s also made an impression on her professors, who see a bright future ahead.

“She approaches academic tasks and challenges with initiative and a desire to learn,” Dr. Slaughter said. “She has a heart for helping veterans of our military as a counselor, and I am confident that she will be successful both in graduate school and her work.”