"HCC is truly a community of people that come together for the greater good of each other - ensuring that students are set up to thrive in safe and productive environments."

— Jasmine Edwards, 2009 HCC Graduate, Founder and CEO of I-SUBZ

I’ll start off by admitting that my path was not clear! I could not make up my mind as to what I wanted to do and constantly switched based on an experience I had or an inspirational encounter. When I first began at HCC, I thought I wanted to be a nurse like my grandmother. Then, after actually working within the field as a certified nursing assistant, I figured that although I liked healthcare, maybe more of an indirect manner. So, I enrolled in the HCC-FAMU Bridges program. This program helps those interested in a career in pharmacy take the right classes and be held accountable for doing the work in order to qualify for the program. I ended up not pursuing this path but left with a life-long connection to Sharon Williams, the former director of the program at that time. I ultimately graduated with an AA degree in Liberal Arts, and within that time framed volunteered and also served as a student ambassador. After graduating from HCC, I reached back out to the former Ybor Campus President, Dr. Robinson, who connected me with multiple people within the organization that allowed me to continue to serve the HCC student body. From 2009 to present, I have been able to stay engaged with HCC via committee work to include being a scholarship reviewer!

This directly relates to my mission in life - to serve others, especially the needy in our communities. It is especially a delight to continue work within the education field as it aligns to my professional work life - education. Today, I am the proud owner of I-SUBZ. Our goal is to provide quality substitute teachers to schools with underserved students to meet and connect with purpose.