Jasmine Jones, a junior computer science major at Alcorn State University, discovered a potential career path in education through an unexpected journey. Participating in the Global Orientation to Agricultural Learning (GOALs) program, Jones spent a week at Santa Fe South High School in Oklahoma City, Okla., sharing her knowledge with Agriscience students and developing a newfound appreciation for teaching.
Originally from the DMV area in Maryland, with family roots in Mississippi connected to Alcorn State, Jones initially became involved in agriculture through the 1890 USDA Scholar program. The GOALs program, a grant-funded initiative aimed at cultivating globally-minded agricultural educators, presented an opportunity Jones initially viewed as a chance to travel to Belize and broaden her global perspective.
“I never really knew about the student teaching aspect,” Jones said. “I just took the opportunity when Mr. Trusclair was like, ‘I think you’d be great for this.’ I was like, ‘Okay, I can go to Belize in the summer. Okay, I’ll do it.’ And then I found out what it was really about.”
Prior to her week at Santa Fe South from March 9-15, Jones participated in the GOALs program’s fall semester, which included a trip to Iowa for the World Food Prize event. The spring semester culminated in the teaching immersion experience. Despite being a computer science major, Jones embraced the opportunity, although with some initial apprehension.
“I was a little scared because this is for ag education majors, or, you know, related to agriculture,” she shared. “And I was like, I don’t know anything about teaching.”
However, the hands-on experience of working with students revealed the rewards of education to Jones. “Really, it was like the interactive part,” she said. “I really enjoyed talking to students, and then I’m teaching them a lesson, and then I could see them putting the pieces together. It was just something about that I was like, it feels so good doing that, like actually giving them something to learn and think about, to inspire, you know, try to inspire them, I guess.”
Jones found a particular connection with the Santa Fe South students, many of whom were experiencing agriculture education for the first time. “This is the program that I went to for my immersion experience, which was a first-year program,” she noted. “They had just brought agriculture education to that high school. So the teacher was there for only a year. So these students never had any exposure to agriculture. And so I related with them because prior to me coming to school, I didn’t have any real agriculture experience either. So, it just felt good to see myself pretty much in my students in that short week.”
As the sole representative from a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) among the three student teachers, Jones felt a distinct sense of responsibility and pride. She noted the contrast between her background and the other student teachers, who were from larger, predominantly white institutions like Pennsylvania State and the University of Idaho. Recognizing that many of the school’s Hispanic students were unfamiliar with HBCUs, Jones embraced the opportunity to represent Alcorn State. “It really felt good to come in and hear questions all day like, ‘What’s Alcorn? What’s it about?'” she said. “Being able to answer those questions and give them a little perspective into HBCUs and Alcorn specifically was good.”
Jones’s advice to fellow students facing new opportunities is direct: “Just, literally do it,” she said. “Especially if it’s paid for and you can travel. I mean, there’s no harm in just doing it. If it works out, it works out. If you like it, you like it. If you don’t, you don’t. But if it’s paid for and you could travel, it’s always a networking opportunity anywhere you go.”
While Jones’s initial focus was computer science, her experience at Santa Fe South has sparked a consideration for a future in teaching. “First, doing this, I didn’t really think I wanted to be a teacher. But now I’m thinking about it,” she shared. “After this immersion, I am really thinking about becoming a teacher once I graduate and finish my time with the USDA.”
Looking ahead, Jones’s ultimate goal is to make a positive impact on others. “Honestly, I just want to, I don’t really know what I want to do, if I’m being honest,” she said. “Like, I don’t know what my career will be, but I just hope that whatever I decide on, I’m leaving, like, I’m leaving an impression on people so they can, like, also… I want to set people up to be better because, throughout my educational career, I’ve had mentors, and I’ve had people who are in higher positions come. They saw me, and they set me up to be better and excel. And I want to be in a position where I can do that for other people, no matter where I am.”
One of the key takeaways from her experience was a newfound respect for the teaching profession. “I’ve been saying this since I left Oklahoma. Teaching is hard,” Jones emphasized. “The actual practice of teaching and planning, lesson planning, and then getting in front of students and breaking it down in a way that 30 people can understand the same thing. That is so hard. I never knew that until that week. And it was eye-opening to like, really, cause I’ve always been a student, but I’ve never been a teacher, you know? And it’s like, as a student, it’s just like, okay, your teacher’s just up there talking to you. Like you don’t really know what all went into their lesson.”
The GOALs program continues to provide valuable opportunities for pre-service agriculture educators, including students from 1890 institutions like Alcorn State. Applications are open for the Santa Fe South 2025 GOALs Cohort 4, which includes a training at the World Food Prize Foundation Borlaug Dialogues, a teaching experience at a U.S. high school, and an optional trip to Belize.
