I shared that I previously dedicated 13 years in healthcare. There were many great and rewarding moments at that time but it is something to say when you reach an intersection of your life which calls for greater. At the end of the day, I wanted to make a difference in another aspect of my life. Quite often those pivots do not come short of adjustments and obedience. I am a believer that God will continually give you a vision that so much you will be unable to silence that which has been put down on the inside of you. We have to recognize the power that is being soaked up is there to position you for greater and there are people ultimately waiting for you to make the pivot just because no one can do it as you have been perfectly designed to do so. Many of us nestle closely to that which we know in refusal to pivot because we settle for safety. If I can leave the readers with anything – Don’t ever settle for safe! Sometimes it will come without validation because when you choose transformation/pivotal change, there may be isolation. But access it anyway!!! I am very happy that I was and will continue to be obedient to God’s word and I am creating an environment for greater. Now, at this very moment, I am honored to serve in position with the Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation in Saint Louis, MO. as the MOScholars Program Manager. The Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation provides scholarships to students which changes the equation for success, thus improving the lives of children and strengthens our community. I would not have reaped the joy that I feel today as I serve scholars in my community had I not trusted my faith. This is an example of pivot and yet it is only the beginning!
We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jermecia Jackson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jermecia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
My now oldest son – Jamsion, was about 1.5 years old when we were watching cartoons on television. There was a moment in that time that I was so in love at seeing Jam so intensely engrossed at the animations but wondered why there weren’t any characters that portrayed boys such as him in their exact image. Characters that were rich in beautiful brown tones and were not manipulated to be some strange animal or anything other than a playful black boy with an imagination to be extraordinary things. While I didn’t feel I had the resources at the time to bring a cartoon to life, I began where I thought needed the same attention…in literature. Visiting main stream book stores, there seemed to be a disconnect of available children’s books that had African American boys as the main protagonist. When I envisioned what kind of books I had hoped to read to Jamison and proceeded to search for that exact book, my return upon search resulted in zero! I knew that for many children, that there are innovative imagery that speak of doctors in medicine but rarely, if any, did children’s books playfully discuss Doctors of Education and specifically to inclusively engage minority children. How important to me was this is because I too was in a moment where I was learning how to ensure the best approach in teaching certain milestones to my child as a parent. Education being such a pivotal and instrumental part of development, how can children of color become increasingly engaged and potentially enthusiastic of pursuing leadership roles in education? We have to introduce it to them! Not only that, but for a world that is becoming heavily enriched with STEAM innovative career paths and industries, how will we ensure that Black and Brown children are introduced to this academic approach if we do not provide materials that increase curiosity at an early age – including literature? So many questions began to evolve and from that I ultimately created Dr. Jam; The Kid Doctor of Education. Dr. Jam became everything that I hope for not only Jamison but young children of color and all little readers everywhere. Dr. Jam is a kid being a kid. He is big and full of imagination and aspires to be a leader in the education circuit. This was pivotal because there are no other characters like him. But even more exciting is that Dr. Jam is the FIRST kid doctor of STEAM education. I wanted to ensure that children became excited to learn and Dr. Jam is the book that now introduces the STEAM acronym to children that at once before had no idea that this method even existed. To become knowledgeable of the many career paths that could result in STEAM has engaged readers to start talking about what they hope to be some day. Parent engagement can now be influenced as the vocabulary used in Dr. Jam sparks questions amongst littles across the board. Now when a parent or educator searches for a STEAM children’s book with a minority protagonist and excites education, Dr. Jam is sure to return as part of the search results!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
To ultimately profess I always knew that I wanted to be an author or to step into nonprofit work would be a pitfall into a fictional tale! I absolutely never could had imagined this path but I have absolutely no regrets. Indeed, my wheels are always spinning and many of my creative thoughts could quite easily be perceived as far fetched but I am the product of 2 incredibly loving parents who have always nourished my dreams and believed in me as a whole being and I couldn’t be anymore blessed for that.
From the very beginning, my family has always valued education. In fact so much that my parents sacrificed and worked incredibly hard in order to invest in a private school education for my high school career. Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School of Saint Louis, MO was a pivotal and positive marker within my youth and very well has influenced my perception of the great outcomes that are the result of influential educators and material. I then pursued further education in Business Administration.
Between dedicating 13 years in Healthcare and becoming a mother, I felt a shift was required in order to truly work within the order of which motivated me to write in the very first place. God gifted me with the greatest job on earth and that is one of motherhood. I count it joy and honor to have 2 incredibly beautiful boys and that they call me ‘Mommy.’ It fuels my purpose and my internal drive. If I do nothing else on earth, it is my aspiration to cultivate the space and opportunity for them to thrive emotionally, spiritually and as a whole being. I take that first job (motherhood) to heart and most seriously. In doing so, I have set out on a mission to live by faith and as an example to both Jamison and Jackson. For that, I am on a mission to exemplify love, kindness, diligence and obedience. Now working in Non-Profit and Education is setting the tone for even more forthcoming. It nourishes the core values in which I have and advocate for and that is educational equity.
The Dr. Jam platform has provided me with the opportunity to lead roundtable discussions that catapult dialogue of parent engagement within the classroom and outside of the school. How can we most proactively partner with educators in order to set the very best tone for our children to thrive? It has been empowering to see the outcomes of these conversations and the innovative approaches that we are developing as part of the Jack and Jam Foundation. Outside of that, becoming a published author has created an entry that allows me to engage with schools and students as author visits have been an incredible addition to my career.
I am most proud of the example this sets for my boys and how it provides truth that no matter where they are, I will bring my very best self so that they see what it is to lead by faith and work.
If anything, I want potential customers and networks to understand that Jermecia is a faith filled creative at heart. I have crazy ideas but I am not afraid to work for them. And most importantly, I do it all in obedience!
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
What I am learning is that I can not stray away from being no one else other than myself. I feel living in my authentic self has set the tone and attracted like minded parents, educators and people in general my way. In the age of social media, it is so easy to fall into the trap of trying to follow the crowd. I can’t be them and I will never apologize for being me.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I shared that I previously dedicated 13 years in healthcare. There were many great and rewarding moments at that time but it is something to say when you reach an intersection of your life which calls for greater. At the end of the day, I wanted to make a difference in another aspect of my life. Quite often those pivots do not come short of adjustments and obedience. I am a believer that God will continually give you a vision that so much you will be unable to silence that which has been put down on the inside of you. We have to recognize the power that is being soaked up is there to position you for greater and there are people ultimately waiting for you to make the pivot just because no one can do it as you have been perfectly designed to do so. Many of us nestle closely to that which we know in refusal to pivot because we settle for safety. If I can leave the readers with anything – Don’t ever settle for safe! Sometimes it will come without validation because when you choose transformation/pivotal change, there may be isolation. But access it anyway!!! I am very happy that I was and will continue to be obedient to God’s word and I am creating an environment for greater. Now, at this very moment, I am honored to serve in position with the Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation in Saint Louis, MO. as the MOScholars Program Manager. The Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation provides scholarships to students which changes the equation for success, thus improving the lives of children and strengthens our community. I would not have reaped the joy that I feel today as I serve scholars in my community had I not trusted my faith. This is an example of pivot and yet it is only the beginning!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drjamsteam.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjamsteam/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjamsteam/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jermecia-jackson-6825321b9/
Image Credits
Mena Darre Tracy Jane Weidel