The Next Native American Chemist

Jasmine Loyal is an intelligent, hardworking, and multicultural woman named . From the minute I walked into the library I knew we would hit the conversation off because of her welcoming smile. Not knowing what to expect from Jasmine, I sat down next to a young woman who had purple head phones on, “fashionable” attire, and a very organized group of notebooks. Jasmine is a 21 year old Glenburnie resident who attended North County High School. She was born in Randallstown, outside of Baltimore city at St. Agnes Hospital. She politely interrupts me almost automatically after she tells me where she was born and says “I grew up in Baltimore, but I don’t like to claim it.” After that comment I knew that I would enjoy her sense of humor. Smiling, we continued the interview.

Not knowing what questions to ask next, she proceeded to tell me about her family. She excitedly told me about her brother Joshua, 18, her sister Jessica, 25, and her only step sister Danielle, 20. I could sense that she had a great relationship with all three of her siblings because of her radiating enthusiasm while discussing them.

I decided to ask her a few questions about why she came to Frostburg? Her response was not what I was expecting. She made it very clear that attending FSU was a last minute decision. She had applied to all historical African American universities, however decided that she would get a better well rounded experience by attending FSU. Jasmine has changed her future career profession several times. She uses her hands to talk and express that she has been back and forth with deciding on a career profession. Currently, she has decided to pursue Chemistry, with a concentration in Bio Chemistry. This makes you think, why is Jasmine enrolled in a Journalistic Writing class if she is Chemistry major? She is currently pursuing a certificate in Professional Writing. Jasmine told me in a heartfelt manner “My ENG 221 teacher pretty much told me I could've/should've been a writer so I decided to pursue it to a lesser degree.”

The most interesting thing about Jasmine is her heritage. Her ancestors are Native American, but more importantly she is reminded of her heritage every single day. Jasmine lives in an all African American community called Cedar Morris Hill. As of two years ago, Jasmine and her family found out from a study that her Native American ancestors built the community. My interest intensified after that comment. I continued to ask her more questions about her community; I wanted to know how she felt about being so close to “home”. She stated “I enjoy it most of the time. Over half of the residents are my relatives so I think there's a greater sense of home associated with it. Although sometimes I do get tired of knowing nearly everyone I see.” This is what separates Jasmine from the rest of the world. She is living in the exact same place that her ancestors lived as practicing Native Americans.

I admire Jasmine for chasing her dreams and succeeding with such a hard major; also for being such a family oriented person and appreciating her ancestry. For more information on her community go to, http://www.somdnews.com/article/20120111/NEWS/701109973/1075/state-recognizes-3-piscataway-tribes&template=southernMaryland.