Jasmine Jackson, Peer Leadership Advisor (PLA) for an Honors Journalism Freshman Interest Group (FIG), received the FIG Excellence in Leadership Award on Oct. 18, 2024. She was nominated by her co-facilitator, Randy Picht, executive director of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. This award recognizes co-facs and PLAs who go above and beyond in service of Mizzou students.
Jackson is a sophomore from Schuyler, Nebraska, studying journalism and English. Jackson, who is involved in Marching Mizzou, Tour Team, and Leading Through Literacy, decided to apply to be PLA for the Journalism FIG because she participated in that FIG as a freshman at Mizzou.
“It provided me with great resources and connections across campus and within the J-School,” Jackson said. “I decided to participate in the FIG program because I wanted to give back. I have loved being a part of it, especially because I understand the experiences of the students. It is inspiring to see how far they have grown and know I’m a part of their experience.”
Spotlight on Excellence
In his award nomination for Jasmine, Picht said:
“The great thing about a FIG is that it’s an excellent way to provide helpful and valuable information across a fairly wide spectrum. One week, we could focus on an assignment to help students gain confidence in their work. The next week might involve providing some detailed advice about, for example, registering for classes. Another week might focus on having some fun and, maybe, some donuts. All great.
But maybe the Holy Grail is coming up with an idea that combines all three of those aspects – build confidence, offer advice and have fun. That would be a wonderful thing. And that’s exactly what Jasmine, who was in a FIG as a freshman last year, did for our fifth class this semester. The class, What is News? Where can I find News? What makes News newsworthy?, is a terrific example of hitting all the right notes in one fell swoop.
Drawing from her FIG experiences last year and from her experiences in Journalism classes, Jasmine very much understood the value of getting a jump start on an important topic and building confidence for our students.
As she noted in the class description: “Every class in the Missouri School of Journalism requires a firm understanding of News, so it is important to start laying the foundation, so you can become more attuned to the News around you …” In addition to the class discussion, Jasmine created a news scavenger hunt as an assignment to help our students categorize news based on the various attributes discussed.”