Jazmine Camp was born in Waco, Texas, and raised on the Big Island of Hawai’i. She graduated from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa with a Bachelor of Education in Secondary Education.
Soon after graduating, Jazmine moved to Kotzebue where she taught middle school language arts for four years. "In July of 2016, I stepped foot into Alaska for the second time in my life. The first time was just a few months prior, to attend the Alaska Teacher Placement job fair where I was hired as a middle school teacher in Kotzebue. Admittedly, I was walking into one of those situations where I didn't even know what I didn't know. I was very fortunate to be able to take part in the C3 program - Creating Cultural Competence. I found the program to be invaluable for both my personal life and teaching career in rural Alaska."
In addition to teaching, Jazmine also assisted in coaching high school cross country, coached middle school Battle of the Books, hosted photojournalism club, and chaperoned many backcountry cultural trips. She threw herself into rural Alaska living while in Kotzebue: she enjoyed learning about the subsistence ways of the region, commercial fishing, and volunteering for the local dog mushing race, the Kobuk 440.
Now Jazmine joins us in Anchorage at the Forum as the C3 Education Program Coordinator as she pursues her Master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
"C3 created a space for me and other participants to make connections with each other and the region. The heartbreaking truth is that many rural regions of Alaska have a high teacher turn-over rate. I truly believe that my initial experience with C3 is what has allowed me to make a home in Alaska." She continues, "Now, four years later, I am extremely excited to be working with the Alaska Humanities Forum on the C3 team to help improve teacher retention rates and serve the Northwest Arctic region."
