The Impact of One: A Promise of Success

The Promise Student Support Program (PSSP) at Mississippi State is a testament to the university’s traditional role as The People’s University. In addition to tuition assistance, the program also offers opportunities for academic support, counseling, career preparation, networking and progress monitoring to freshmen and community college transfer students from economically challenging situations.

The collective programming goes above and beyond to deliver extensive assistance aimed at helping students adjust to life on campus and ensuring their goals of completing a degree at MSU become a reality. As such, PSSP is a hallmark program at MSU. Since establishment in 2006, this one program has directly impacted the success of more than 600 students in the classroom and life beyond.

One of those students is Jasmine Daniels, who was a Promise Scholar at MSU from 2015-2019. Daniels grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, but after losing her mother to breast cancer, she and her siblings were relocated to Columbia, Mississippi, to live with their grandparents. As a junior in high school at the time, it was not only a heartbreaking loss, but also a difficult transition to reckon. However, Daniels was determined to overcome the trials for herself and in honor of her beloved mother.

“My mom was very big on education, so there was no doubt I was going to college somewhere,” said Daniels. After moving to Mississippi, she had no idea where she wanted to continue her studies. “My mom always told me to find a school that felt second to home because that is the only way for students to really be successful. I never understood what that meant until I started touring different colleges.”

After touring a few campuses, Daniels initially committed to the another university. However, a letter from the director of MSU’s PSSP sparked her interest in Mississippi State.

“The letter ‘promised’ that this program and the people involved would make sure I succeeded,” said Daniels, who had never previously visited MSU. “The fact that they would be so bold to make me a promise like that without having met me really made me want to check it out.”

She scheduled a campus visit to MSU and the rest is history. Within 20 minutes of arriving at the land-grant, she realized what her mother meant when she told her daughter to “find a school that feels second to home.” Daniels found that home at MSU and immediately changed her decision about where she was going to pursue her degree.

“Rarely does a school promise you not only a better education, but a home away from home and people who will truly advocate for you, but Mississippi State did that for me,” she said.

Taking advantage of every opportunity MSU presented, Daniels made a point to follow up with professors and leaders of class sessions and special guest lectures whenever the chance arose. She recognized each resource as a new door that could lead to her future—many of which would not be possible without the generous support of alumni and friends who have contributed to PSSP from the beginning.

“I was very blessed because the people I met through Promise and my degree program were valuable connections that moved me farther toward my goals,” she said. “That’s one of the things that was so special about Promise—if I showed an inch of interest, the leaders and mentors of the program gave a mile to help get me where I wanted to go.”

Actively involved in and out of the classroom as a student, Daniels is especially proud of one organization she was involved with from the ground up. MSU’s Thrive Program, launched in 2018, provides resources and promotes success among students like Daniels, who have lost their parents or been placed in the foster care system. She met with MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Young Hyatt to discuss the needs of independent students, and later participated in a focus group that led to the development of the program, which continues to impact students on campus today.

Daniels graduated from MSU in 2019 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing and assumed a job in facilities management with Aramark Services at Baylor University. Wanting to build off her own experiences to help shape similar ones for other students, she was initially drawn to the position because of the opportunities it presented for her to serve and mentor students through Baylor’s career program. In addition to upholding her job duties, Daniels also completed her graduate degree during her time there.

In 2020, COVID brought major changes to Daniels’ career plans. She was reassigned to serve as a project manager for ResCare, a community-based service provider of BrightSpring Health Services. But eventually, as accounts began to close amid the shifting health care industry, she realized her position would be short-lived. She began looking for job opportunities that would allow her to balance her passion for student support with her experience in facilities management.

Through shared connections, she was able to interview for and secure a temporary position as an interim director of facilities for the Oyster River Cooperative School District (ORCSD) in Durham, New Hampshire. Despite her lack of experience in the field, Daniels’ personality, work ethic and dedication to her work transformed the temporary position into a permanent one.

Two months after accepting the interim job, she was offered the full position. She is now the youngest facilities director, and first female and African American to hold the position, at ORCSD.

“When I started, there was definitely a huge culture shock because I’d never been to New Hampshire and wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Daniels. “I was nervous about the responsibility of leading such a huge program while figuring out how to fit in, but Promise gave me the resources and confidence I needed to be successful.”

Today, as Daniels navigates each new task—from meeting with veteran board members and making decisions on million-dollar contracts, to managing large staff teams and strategizing capital improvement plans that meet the needs of the district’s growing student population—she is honoring the memory of her mother and living out the promise of the investments made in her life.

“I never thought I would be where I am today, and I give so much credit to the Promise Program at MSU for helping me get this far so early in my career,” she said. “Promise gave me every opportunity and exposed me to so many things that prepared me for the future. I wasn’t just a student that was passed off. Mississippi State gave me a home and people who genuinely cared about me, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the support and the people who made it all possible.”

STORY ADDIE MAYFIELD

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