‘Big of the Year’ honor awarded to HPU senior Jasmine Williams

By Ryan, February 25, 2016

By Erika Esterline // Staff Writer

At the beginning of her freshman year, Jasmine Williams joined Big Brothers Big Sisters at the fall Activities Fair in an effort to give back and be the type of mentor that she always wanted to have growing up. Now a senior, Williams was recently named “Big of the Year” in the Triad after four years spent with the program.
“I’ve had incredibly influential mentors over the years and I wanted to make an impact by filling that influential role for someone else,” Williams said. “My roommate and I had both always wanted to be in Big Brothers Big Sisters, so we signed up together.”
Becoming involved with the program, Williams has done everything from holding leadership positions for the organization at HPU to helping “Littles” with science projects over the years.
“As a ‘Big,’ I go once a week to a local elementary school to spend an hour with my ‘Little,’ Yave Maldonado,” Williams said. “Typically, we work along with his class or head to the computer lab to play games. My match support specialist Laura Carlson, jokes that I’ve worked on more science projects than most parents. I also served as the secretary of HPU’s BBBS Club for two years, which involved planning events for the ‘Littles’ to attend on campus.”
Williams’ bond with Maldonado is part of what makes the program special to her. “Yave is very similar to how I was when I was his age,” Williams said. “I was a bright student, but I wasn’t very focused on school and I needed mentors to push me to reach my full potential. I see a lot of that in him as well and I think I’ve showed him how important academics are to his future.”
One of Williams’ fondest moments since joining the Big Brother Big Sister Program took place at an Easter egg hunt two years ago with her “Little.”
“We had an Easter egg hunt at HPU for the ‘Littles’ in 2014 outside on the Slane basketball courts,” Williams said. “There were raffle prizes and one of the prizes was the ‘Littles’ would get to pie their big in the face. Yave’s was the first one called and the kids in his class still talk about it.”
Taking part in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program is more than just playing games. Williams has been able to make a real impact on the lives of kids in the Triad’s communities and her passion for this and dedication to the program is what lead to her being named “Big of the Year.”
“Being a ‘Big’ is the type of experience where you go in thinking that you’re going to change a child’s life, but you come out realizing that they changed yours,” Williams said. “Every week when I go to Big Brothers Big Sisters, I come out of the school with a smile on my face. Being around your ‘Little’ reminds you of what is really important.”