It’s time for another Mentee Feature! This time, we sat down to chat with the lovely Jasmine Walters, who was a Mentee in MP3! Jasmine was just wrapping up her senior year of college when she discovered and applied to the Mentorship Program. Since then, she has been exploring her world as a creative and keeping an open mind about her future.
Mentor: Samantha Northart
School: Elon University
Major/Minor: BFA in Music Theatre, 2020
Interests: directing, acting, teaching, mentoring
“What warmed my heart the most about OTL was the time and effort they put into finding a compatible mentor for me. They meet you where you are and encourage growth without the iron fist mentality.” – Jasmine
Working Now and Planning Ahead
Jasmine is living at home and now works with her local school system and assists students with educational and behavioral disabilities. She was able to translate her theatre skills to her work and improved a lot of her soft skills, for a well-rounded experience post-graduation. In the fall, she will return to this position, but this summer, Jasmine worked as a Production Assistant at the Summer Musical Theatre Experience, provided through Florida State College and Jacksonville.
Jasmine is an alumni of SMTE, and now she gets to serve as a mentor and director to the high school students in the program. Listen below as she talks about what she loves about directing and how this experience has influenced her plans for her future:
A Full-Circle Moment
From eighth grade to her senior year of high school, Jasmine performed in five SMTE productions. For her, coming back to the program is like coming back home. Below, listen to Jasmine discuss how it feels to be on the other side of the table and give back to the students.
Photos from Jasmine’s time at SMTE, then and now!
Being a Life-Long Learner
Jasmine’s open mindset is very admirable, and she says it took hard work to get there. When exploring her life and job opportunities, she is open to anything and always learning. Click below to listen to her point of view on figuring out what’s right for her:
Looking Back at the Mentorship Program
One of Jasmine’s favorite parts of the Mentorship Program was the weekly accountability check-ins — “I couldn’t have asked for a better accountability partner,” she says. Sam Northart, her mentor, would also check-in with Jasmine’s overall wellbeing during their sessions, being empathetic and understanding of navigating the pandemic as a theatre artist. Jasmine mentioned that they have yet to meet up in NYC for their anticipated pasta dinner together.
Below, she reflects on her time in the program and thoughts about mentorship:
Advice to Fellow Young Artists
Completing college and the Mentorship Program helped Jasmine grow into the mindset she has today, and she now has wisdom that she can share with others in her life, like the high school students at SMTE. To close out her feature, listen below to the advice she has to give to other young artists:
A very special thank you to Jasmine for taking time to discuss all things post-MP! We so appreciated hearing your story and feel inspired by your eloquent words and spirit!
KEEP AN EYE OUT!
The Mentorship Program is BACK in Fall 2021 with MP6! Stay on the lookout for some fresh faces!