Page 24 - Demo

24 || MOST FITNESS || APRIL 2016and hire her for the seven to eleven time slot on Saturday evenings alongside four other male disc jockeys. She would be the lone female on the program. Christened J Simon the Shinning Diamond, she would make herself at home on the radio.For the next few years the Shinning Diamond would riff back and forth with her coworkers on all things hip hop. The quintet would discuss what%u2019s hot, like Jay-Z%u2019s The Blueprint, H to the Izzo or the gone too soon, Tupac Shakur and Big Poppa himself, Biggie Smalls. By the time she was a senior in high school the show was hers. Jazmyn was able to master public speaking by attending various events on behalf of the radio station. From college tours to masters of ceremonies at a live concert for a popular rhythm and blues group, 112. %u201cI can speak in front of an audience and have no fear or trepidation behind it since I%u2019ve been doing it from such a young age.%u201dDivine intervention is how she remembers this time in her young life. %u201cGod lays everything out for you.%u201d At sixteen she had no idea what was happening and how the fabric of these very same life experiences would shape her career going forward. Looking back, she%u2019s thoughtful, %u201cThings like that just don%u2019t happen, I have a lot of %u2018things don%u2019t happen in my life stories%u2019.%u201d It was the very best thing that could have happened to the budding sixteen-year-old. Holding down a part time job at a clothing store plus her time on the radio, Jazmyn learned at a young age the importance of hard work. For the next two to three years, the guys would eventually matriculate out and head off to college. By her senior year, the show was hers. To think it all started with a search for the perfect dress to now receiving multiple on air invitations to the prom. Kind of sounds like one of those full circle Oprah moments. Graduating from University of Nevada - Las Vegas with dual degrees in Communication and Theater, she is a huge proponent of education. %u201cAnything worth having is worth working for, and the first steps of that is getting an education in college.%u201d She goes on to say %u201cThere are some things that you will only learn in the work force, but you learn how to be an adult in college, in my opinion.%u201d While in school, she was learning to do things on her own and setting herself up for successes as well as failure. There were times during the semester where she performed poorly and would question herself daily. %u201cYou can learn life lessons in college in a safe environment rather than learning it in the real world.%u201d She can remember getting called into the Dean%u2019s office and hearing, %u201cIf I don%u2019t do better with my studies, I will have to go on academic probation.%u201d If the actor haven%u2019t lived that experience she wouldn%u2019t have known what failure feels like or to be worried about something in an environment that is not going to be detrimental to your life. %u201cCollege is that bridge between being a child and being an adult and it%u2019s an invaluable part that children shouldn%u2019t miss.%u201d When you%u2019re eighteen, most kids think they are adults, %u201cI think maybe I might have become an adult yesterday, maybe it%u2019s going to happen to me today, I don%u2019t know.%u201d There was a time not long ago when women and people of color were not afforded the opportunity to get an education and it is imperative that we do so if we are able. More than inspiring words to live by, she implores us to make those words a reality. After college, Jazmyn would make the move to Chicago, Illinois in the heart of Lincoln Park to attend the legendary Second City Training Center. Second City has been %u201cbringing the funny%u201d for over 50 years as a premiere improv-based sketch comedy group. Feeling right at home, %u201cI think I was born with really good improv skills and I just needed to fine tune them.%u201d Under the expert tutelage of Michael Gellman, she was inspired by the long list of alumni who attended Second City early on in their careers.