Every year, at The Corps Network’s National Conference in Washington, DC, we honor a select group of exceptional Corpsmembers from our member Service and Conservation Corps. These young men and women have exceeded the expectations of their Corps by exhibiting outstanding leadership skills and demonstrating an earnest commitment to service and civic engagement. The Corpsmembers of the Year are role models; their personal stories and accomplishments are an inspiration to Corpsmembers nationwide.
— Read about other 2019 Awardees —
“Ms. Poole works hard and always has a great attitude no matter how hard the work is, or how dirty the job may be…She has become a positive role model and leader for young, minority women. Jasmine serves as an excellent example of a hard worker, a leader, and a participant in the community.”
Jasmine Poole completed two AmeriCorps terms through the Opportunity Youth Service Initiative at Limitless Vistas, Inc. (LVI) and now serves as a “GulfCorps” crewmember.
Originally from New Orleans, Jasmine and her mother moved to Baton Rouge after Hurricane Katrina. They were eventually able to move back to New Orleans, where Jasmine took a job as a restaurant hostess. It was at this point that Jasmine’s brother, an alumnus of LVI, invited her to visit the program. Learning about the opportunity to earn certificates and gain job experience was enough to make Jasmine want to join; little did she know how much she would come to embrace the work of managing public lands and caring for the environment.
Having grown up in an urban environment, Jasmine had limited outdoor experience when she enrolled in the Corps. As it turned out, she has an innate talent for this kind of work. Her skill and enthusiasm is such that project sponsors routinely ask for Jasmine by name when they need help.
Since starting her service in March 2017, Jasmine has helped clean up an EPA brownfields site; conducted a plastics and microplastics survey at Elmer’s Island Wildlife Refuge; cleaned and preserved historic grave markers at Chalmette National Cemetery; and participated in numerous community events. Jasmine became the first and only woman to complete a GulfCorps service term with Limitless Vistas. Through GulfCorps, she has participated in various projects to improve the environmental resiliency of coastal habitats.
“My life has been influenced by my Corps experience by making me a better leader. It has made me more responsible, knowledgeable, and more aware of my surroundings,” said Jasmine. “It has given me knowledge about how we have a major effect on our community. Meeting and networking with people from all over the country who have the same goal of making the earth a better place to live has been exciting.”
Upon completing her second GulfCorps term, Jasmine plans to put her AmeriCorps Education Awards towards college, where she hopes to study psychology and business management. As Jasmine states, her time with LVI will be in asset in her journey to become a psychologist: the Corps has given her the opportunity to experience different environments, interact with people of different backgrounds, and – because of her hard work – her term of service has also given her leadership roles and responsibilities.
According to Jasmine, “A resilient person is: optimistic; strategic; able to overcome failure; sharp; sturdy; confident; flexible; adaptable; capable; adjustable.”
