Though Jasmine Bradley may be in her first year as a Northern Kentucky University (NKU) student, the freshman nursing major has wasted no time in getting involved across campus. In addition to her full-time course load, Bradley serves as the president of NKU’s Black Student Union, director of social events on the Activities Planning Board and treasurer of NKU R.O.C.K.S. Her motivation stems from an innate need to help others—whether on campus or at home.
“Taking care of my mom, I’ve always liked the role of being a caregiver,” Bradley says. “She has an autoimmune disease that sometimes hinders her from doing a lot of things. I help her around the house, making sure she’s comfortable and not in as much pain as she could be in.”
Bradley’s experiences assisting her mother also led her to pursue a nursing major. While she initially planned to attend a historically Black college or university, the amount of scholarship money that NKU offered—as well as the good things she had heard about the school’s nursing program—ultimately influenced her final decision.
She is currently taking her final prerequisite classes to be accepted into the nursing program and awaiting the results of her application. Throughout her first two semesters, she’s most enjoyed her psychology course taught by Dr. Mark Bardgett, Dr. Brad Sarchet’s “Anatomy and Physiology” course and Dr. Gannon Tagher’s “Health Practices around the World” class in the Honors College.
“Dr. Tagher is probably my favorite professor that I’ve worked with so far,” Bradley says.
“It brings me joy to get students who look like me together so that we can all feel comfortable in a space that welcomes us openly."
After graduation, Bradley hopes to get a job as a travel nurse while working on her master’s degree, which would help her become a nurse practitioner.
“I’m from Louisville, Kentucky, but I don’t really want to continue living in Louisville,” she says. “I just want to use nursing as an opportunity to see new and different things.”
As a freshman, one of the things that surprised Bradley most about NKU was the amount of opportunities that the university opened up to her.
“I just attended a jobs fair for Black students and found out that I could become a substitute teacher as early as next year,” she says. “There are so many events that can help you get yourself out there.”
At present, Bradley takes every opportunity she gets to become more involved on NKU’s campus—an enthusiasm that carries over from high school, where she was also the president of her school’s Black Student Union.
“It brings me joy to get students who look like me together so that we can all feel comfortable in a space that welcomes us openly,” she says. “As for Activities Planning Board, I found out about that through events I took part in last semester. They had a ‘Make Your Own License Plate’ event and a Build-a-Bear event, and they were really fun. I wanted to be a part of that.”
Her schedule may be packed, but keeping a planner and setting reminders on her phone helps Bradley manage. She encourages other incoming college students in her own position to never give up:
“I would tell somebody to not give up on who they are,” she says, “and just stay true to who they are throughout their whole college experience.”
