All Around All-Star
I grew up in a neighborhood where the kids just played basketball all the time and I wanted to learn how to play, so that year, 1994 I believe, my mother put me on the team at the YMCA.”
Early on Jasmine Young discovered a passion for basketball which would carve the path for the rest of her life.
Her love for basketball started early.
“I realized that I had significant talent when the older guys at the gym told me I was really good for a girl, and I was beating a lot of them. They wouldn’t let kids under 16 play, but they let me play when I was 11 and I was a girl.”
Jasmine recalled, when asked about the first time she realized she actually had a talent in basketball. Jasmine was playing varsity basketball as a freshman in high school, a feat not conquered by many.
Young’s high school basketball accomplishments earned her full scholarship to East Carolina University. She jumped at the chance. “I wanted to attend a school that was not in my home town, but was not too far from home as well,” says Jasmine. After discussing her general past, I wanted to see some of the more personal parts that make the real Jasmine Young.
“I would rather be in the ring fighting with sweat and blood and to know what it feels like to have victory or defeat, then to watch from outside of the ring, wondering what victory or defeat feels like.”
Is one of her favorite quotes, according to her page on Facebook. I think this explains a lot about Young’s determination both on and off the court.
As part of the interview I spoke with Jasmine’s girlfriend, Shanna Sauls. Young met Shanna in May of 2006 and the sparks were flying immediately. “I couldn’t place my finger on it, but there was definitely something there that gave me butterflies in my stomach….”
The way Shanna talks about Jasmine would leave anyone wanting to know more about her.
“Jasmine is one of the best people I know, I mean that sincerely. She’s extremely giving, caring, and loving,”
Shanna said of Jasmine. When I asked Shanna about Young’s allegiance to basketball, she responded, “She is a very hardworking student as well as a dedicated football player. She’s the biggest asset to the team, as well as the core that holds the Lady Pirates together.” Shanna went on to explain the impact that Young has had on her own life. She told about the time they met and how Jasmine, who barley even knew her at the time, went out of her way to help her move out of her apartment. “She brought some things I didn’t have room for from NC to DC for me…she really helped me out. Without her I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it.”In closing Sauls said, after a brief moment in thought, “I could go on for days, but basically she’s just a wonderful person and any one should be glad to have her as a part of their life.”
Between her dedication to her double major, in Criminal Justice and Broadcast Journalism, and her basketball team, Young really doesn’t have time for other hobbies. Apart from the hectic school and basketball aspect of Young’s life, she really enjoys a less structured veracity. Although sparingly found in Young’s life, down time is filled with chilling with friends, riding motorcycles with mom, and meeting new people.
Young’s favorite movies are “Love and Basketball” if one could not have guessed, and “Paid in Full.” Her favorite television shows include, the “Cosby Show”, “In Living Color”, “Fresh Prince of Bell-Air” and the “Family Guy”.
Something that I thought was really interesting about Jasmine is that her favorite book listed on her Facebook page was the Bible. Often times these days it is hard to find a young person that has so far as read the Bible, let alone list it as their favorite book on such a public outlet.
Most of all Jasmine enjoys the company of her dog Chloe. She is like a daughter to me, she said in her introductory speech in class.
Jasmine has many passions in life and seems to be dedicated to all. I asked Young to point out one aspect of her personality that all of her friends would agree the she possesses. Her response was,
“I would say that all my friends say I’m a kind hearted person. I’m always doing things for other people just to make them happy.”
Filed under: Classmate Profiles, Spring 2008