Jasmine Armstrong

Research

Jasmine’s passions center on race and racial identity. She has strengthened her own identity, and she hopes that in her career, she can provide mentorship to other students of color and minority students to strengthen their identities as well. As a sociologist, she is focused on diversity and inclusion. She is passionate about social justice, which informs her approach to research. Jasmine’s dissertation examines stereotyping of Black women on college campuses. Through an analysis of historically Black colleges and Black women attending predominantly white institutions, she is comparing experiences and stereotypes to understand how these women perceive their college experiences differently. Her goal is to give a voice to Black women on campus, to understand their experiences, and to provide an authentic glimpse of Black womanhood. “I've been encountering a lot of experiences, and I feel like marginalized people don't get that voice or get that platform to showcase what they're really experiencing,” she said.

Opportunity

“FSU has just helped me realize I have so many options that are still open to me,” Jasmine said. She had originally wanted to go to graduate school to narrow down her options through a focused specialization. The PhD has alerted her to so many opportunities that she hadn't know existed. The FSU Department of Sociology encourages students to go into academia, but Jasmine has seen students graduate and pursue careers in fields she hadn't even considered. She finds it encouraging, though, to know that so much flexibility and opportunity that can come with the graduate degree.

Encouragement 

Jasmine is a first-generation college student, though she never thought about that as part of her identity until she got to the University of Florida. Neither of her parents went to college, but her three sisters did. Jasmine’s older sister already has a PhD, and her twin sister is also pursuing her PhD at FSU. Jasmine appreciates the support and encouragement her parents provide, but she says that having sisters who had advice and experiences to offer made a huge difference and that this shared experience has brought them closer as sisters.

Determination 

Jasmine admits that her greatest struggles in graduate school occurred when she was studying for her comprehensive exams. This exam determined whether she could move on to her dissertation, so it was extremely stressful. “You have to really study and...it kind of changes your perception of the program, because you start learning a lot. You start reading and studying about all these different topics and qualities, and it just changes your outlook on certain things,” Jasmine said. During this time, Jasmine relied on support from other students, particularly minority students who could provide encouragement and advice. She said that those students gave her resources and reassurance. “They helped in my trajectory as a grad student, and therefore I feel the need to pass that on to other graduate students of color in my program, like a mentoring thing that we have for Black women, and also minority students. And also I found some supportive people as well as grad faculty that have been on my side to help just fight for my voice and keep me focused as well.”