In 2017, when former JAG student Jada Linthicum was referred by a teammate on the
swim team to the Job’s for America’s Graduates (JAG) program at Martinsville High School, she did not anticipate JAG changing her future like the program did.
“I went to Martinsville High School and I started (JAG) in August 2017. I had gotten recommended for JAG by a friend the year before that because at the time we had to get referred for JAG so I got referred and was able to join JAG in 2017,” Linthicum said. “(She referred me because) I think I was just interested in it because I had other friends there as well. The JAG (Career Association) President before me, she and I were good friends before that too.”
After a successful and fun first year in JAG, Linthicum decided to run for Martinsville JAG Career Association President her senior year and won. During her term, she collected free school supplies for her JAG classroom.
“It was really fun; I tried my best to be a good JAG (Career Association) President [ . . . ] I tried my best to make it fun and bring a light to the classroom and to show that we are all friends here. We all have a voice so if we want to do something or have ideas then we can voice them, things like that,” Linthicum said.
Aside from being Career Association President of her program, Linthicum engaged in JAG’s various opportunities including guest speakers, field trips, and projects. Her favorite guest speaker was a drug and alcohol counselor that hosted an open conversation with students about addiction and substance abuse. Additionally, her favorite field trip was a college visit to University of Indianapolis, where she ended up graduating with a degree in operations in supply management and a minor in Spanish.
“I didn’t even know about it (University of Indianapolis) until JAG. I ended up going there because I had found it through JAG. I had gone on one field trip with (then-JAG Specialist) Mr. Brownfield and then had gone on one with (JAG Specialist) Mrs. Martin. I had really loved it the first time, but as we went into my senior year it was important for me to actually look at colleges and stuff. As we would go on field trips, I would be looking at if I actually wanted to go here,” Linthicum said.
What made her experience even better was Linthicum’s senior year JAG Specialist Jenifer Martin. As part of JAG’s mission, Specialists like Martin plan lessons and events revolving around academic and economic preparedness.
“Mrs. Martin really got involved with us and you knew that she wanted us to succeed [ . . . ] We always had something to do in there, we always had some kind of event or community service project going on every week that we had to prepare for. So, I really liked her teaching style. We have still stayed connected and we talk all the time just to talk about life and stuff,” Linthicum said.
Another opportunity that Linthicum partook in through JAG was the National Leadership Seminar (NLS) held each year in Washington, D.C. Linthicum attended to compete in the employability skills where she had to provide a resume. She got resume advice from fellow JAG students from all over the nation and still uses that feedback.
“I still use the same resume format that I had from high school, from JAG. I went to the Washington, D.C. trip for JAG and I ended up doing that and I competed in employability skills. We were in line for the event and I remember talking to girls around me and comparing our resumes and stuff, seeing what everybody else was doing. I really liked that,” Linthicum said.
Aside from other JAG students, Linthicum also asked Region 5 JAG Coordinator Jo DuMontelle and Martin to look at her resume for jobs after high school. Linthicum used that same resume to receive her first office job as a carrier account manager with a logistics firm called Spot Logistics in downtown Indianapolis, which she started this June. Linthicum attributes many of her adult skills to JAG.
“I think it just prepared me in general. Even though I don’t remember every lesson specifically from JAG, I know that whenever I hear something I’m like, ‘Oh I learned about that in JAG’ and I can tell them all about it. I do remember that that kind of stuff unlocked a hidden memory for me, like grown up things.”
Linthicum used JAG lessons regarding financial responsibility, planning, and employability skills after her graduation from Martinsville High School.
“It’s almost like I wish I had a JAG program that extended to UIndy, so that they can help me through all of these adult things,” Linthicum said.
Out of all the lessons JAG taught her, Linthicum values the network of relationships she made both throughout the state of Indiana and nationally because of her involvement in the JAG program that stays with her today.
“I talk to them all the time. I was roommates with one of them that I met in JAG in college before COVID and we were roommates for a year. I talk to Mrs. Martin. I have other friends that I knew outside of JAG that I referred to JAG and they were all in JAG and we still talk about it sometimes. The president after me at Martinsville, he is one of my best friends so I talk to him all the time,” Linthicum said.
Linthicum still resides in Martinsville, but is planning on moving to Indianapolis in the next few months. She uses her JAG relationships, skills, and experiences every day, even four years after she graduated from the program.
“I love JAG. I know that it is a very good program, I want it to live on. It is something that I feel like every student needs. I just feel that I can't believe that we don’t have something like this as a class required for high school because it does prepare you for outside real world things,” Linthicum said.
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