Jaszmine is a Senior Trainer at Alteristic. She began her career researching gender-based violence in Dakar, Senegal, exploring the relationship between religion and self-advocacy. Wanting to return home, she pivoted to violence prevention and worked as a legal advocate in Saint Louis, assisting survivors of relationship violence with navigating the justice system. Since then, she has worked in legislative advocacy, crisis intervention, curriculum development, and prevention education. Jaszmine received her BA from Washington University in Saint Louis.

I’ve always joked with my colleagues that we never stop working even when we aren’t working. I believe that when you hold violence prevention as a value it finds its way into every aspect of your life. The way you interact with others, the conversations you have at the dinner table, even the way you see the world. It encourages self-reflection, and like bell hooks talks about in All About Love, it teaches us compassionate understanding. We learn to forgive ourselves and those around us for causing harm, understanding that no matter how we’ve stumbled we will always have a place in this work.

I am an introvert through and through; sometimes I look up and realize I’ve spent an entire weekend inside with my dog, just tending to my plants and watching fantasy movies. I’ve learned to lean into the things I love which means you can catch me unabashedly listening to disco as I garden, dancing to 2000s pop music, or watching Twilight for the 100^th time. Nothing makes me happier than being on a patio on a sunny day, eating good food (preferable street tacos) and tasting new craft beers with friends. I know that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, so I strive to make every day worth living.