About Jessica

Holaaaa me llamo Jess!

I just graduated from Belmont University in May receiving a degree in Elementary Education and a degree in Christian Leadership. Although I have moved around in my childhood to seven states, I am most recently from Birmingham, Alabama. I do love the south but ready to go further south to the Caribbean!

At the end of June, I will be traveling to La Vega, Dominican Republic to work with the non-profit organization, New Hope Girls for a year. At New Hope, their vision is to create a refuge of light and life for girls and women from dark, difficult places and restoring identity and purpose for their future. My role at New Hope is the teacher for the girls in transitional care. These girls have just arrived to the safe house and their cases are still being litigated so they are not in the school system yet so in order for them not to regress in their academics, I will be their teacher during this time.

New Hope lines up with everything that I believe to be true. I believe that there is healing in community, that there is healing in love, that there is healing in empowerment, and that there is healing in justice. I am incredibly passionate about social justice including but not limited to women’s rights, immigration, education equality and being an advocate for those that have been silenced. At Belmont, my passion for humanity grew through my studies in the theology and education departments. I was able to student teach Kindergarten and 5th grade in the Metro Nashville Public Schools where I probably learned more about myself than the students learned from me. Education is at the root of so many opportunities in this world and I believe everyone deserves that opportunity of education no matter where they are from, the language they speak, the color of their skin, their sexual orientation, or their economic status. I am just the facilitator of giving that education right to students.

I am so excited to speak about my journey this next year and am happy that you are here to read about it! 🙂

Te quiero,

Jess