We were lucky to catch up with Jasmine Brooks recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jasmine , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I transitioned from teaching in the classroom to working in a high school in 2014. It changed my life. As the college success coordinator at Voyageur College Prep, I didn’t realize that the coaching, the one-on-ones, the presentations, and parent meetings would prepare me to launch JMB Advising. In the summer of 2016 my college mentor Jenell Mansfield reached out to me and said she needed someone to lead her knowledge for college summer program. I began creating content, sessions, and activities for the students. And I loved it. From the feedback I received my husband encouraged me to create a business that would support this passion and allow me to grow and impact more students. JMB which are my initials was created but fully developed and launched in 2019 after I finished my masters degree in educational leadership. And then the pandemic began. And my first true clients under my LLC were students in high school and college messaging me on Instagram looking for support and help with their post secondary planning and scholarships. I developed JMB Mentor Moments where I connected clients with professionals in the field they are interested. I supported clients with one-on-one support reviewing their scholarships. And connected clients to opportunities to attend college debt free based on the effort they put into our sessions. Now in 2023, I have been afforded the opportunity to create content for organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, Wayne State University’s TRiO Summer program, GOAL Line Detroit, and SAY PLAY Detroit in addition to my amazing individual clients.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As an educator both in the classroom and as an administrator, creating an educational consulting business met my strengths and passions in the middle. Creating opportunities for students and their families to be supported through the post-secondary options is such an experience. I include my clients in setting goals for themselves and their accountability to follow through. If it’s assessing what opportunity they want and how much it costs, they then have to figure out on a calendar how to meet that goal. The ownership is on the student as the client but their parents or families are included in the process and kept in the loop of what is happening. My job is to help my clients push past their comfort zone in their writing and advocating for themselves with scholarships essays, internships, and beyond. What sets me apart is that I create an experience for my clients where they are doing work and meeting their goals and can understand and see the benefits from their work in the end. I’m most proud of the success that my clients have had over these last 5 years. Seeing a client from Detroit win a $25,000 scholarship to attend her dream school at Tennessee State University, or another client from New York win a full tuition scholarship to her local community college as she aspire to earn her law degree, or another client who is a single mom finishing her associates degree with scholarships and being on her way towards studying for the LSAT is what determines my success. I win when they win and am so proud to call them my clients and serve them in this capacity.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had been an administrator at Voyageur College Prep for the last ten years. Serving in multiple capacities as the College Success Coordinator, Dean of College Success, Dean of Academics and Instruction, and ultimately Assistant Principal, there wasn’t a job I wouldn’t do to ensure my staff and students were set up for success. When our leadership changed in 2023 and my principal transitioned I applied for the role in hopes to be able to maintain consistency for my staff and students and shift things to the next level. Though I interviewed for the role, I was informed I wasn’t experienced enough and they were looking for someone who had already been a principal. Knowing that was the best decision for the staff and students from our leadership, I was humbled when an opportunity to apply for the Senior Director of Community Hubs for the Detroit College Access Network was posted and I had the chance to step outside my comfort zone as an educator and school leader to work for an organization whose mission is by the residents of Detroit having access to post secondary success and resources. I knew that even though it was hard to leave my students and staff, that this next opportunity was going to level up access for the communities and staff I will have the honor to serve.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media allowed me during the pandemic to create content through weekly themed videos that reached hundreds of students and parents across the internet. Clients were messaging me in droves asking to be supported with writing essays, applying for schools and programs and having the chance to make post-secondary education a reality. My very first client Karina, changed everything for me and showed me that my reach was truly aligned with the path God has over my life. Karina wanted support with applying for her program, and as a working mom needed someone to push her. We worked and were able to secure many different scholarship during our time working together. She is still my client to this day and I can’t wait to see her be accepted into her program to become a lawyer in the future. If it had not been for those videos I know my starting point could have come in another form, but this one transcended beyond my imagination.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jmbadvising.org
• Instagram: Jmbadvising
• Facebook: Jmbadvisingllc
• Linkedin: Jasmine Brooks