Jade Westbrooks: Jefferson City Roots, Rising Into Her Own

Most students come to Lincoln University looking for a place to belong. Jade Westbrooks already knew where the hallways led.

Growing up in Jefferson City, Jade spent her childhood on campus. Her father, Jerry Westbrooks, works in the financial aid office, and her mother, Toni Westbrooks, taught as an adjunct professor for years. As a little girl, Jade would curl up for naps behind her dad’s desk. Lincoln was home long before it was a college choice.

But when it came time to enroll, Jade had one quiet fear: would she always just be a "legacy" student? Her parents had built their own memories here. She wondered if she’d spend four years living in their stories instead of writing her own.

"My parents really wanted me to come and make it my own," she said. "And that’s what I did."

She credits the freshman year royal court with giving her the green light. When Jade was named Miss Freshman, the upperclassmen gave her some simple advice: don't worry about the expectations. Just be Jade.

Getting Involved
Jade took that advice to heart. Now a senior and president of Kappa Delta Pi (Lincoln's honors education organization), she has built a presence that is entirely her own. She is a member of the university honors program and holds the title of Miss Brown and Gold as an Iota sweetheart, a title she earned by reaching beyond campus to join an outside chapter. She recently became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

"I had to go out of my way," she said. "I’m proud of my growth in that." That growth eventually hit a regional stage. Jade now serves as Midwest Regional Secretary for the organization, representing Lincoln far beyond Jefferson City.

Off campus, she stays busy volunteering with Building Community Bridges, stocking food pantries and making sure the space stays welcoming for local families.

Finding Her People
One of the biggest shifts of Jade’s college years was deeply personal. Having attended predominantly white schools growing up, Lincoln was the first time she was surrounded by people who shared her background.

"It was a culture shock in the best way," she said. "I’d never been around so many people who looked like me and had my same experiences, but also had different perspectives I could learn from."

The learning went both ways. During a freshman trip-planning session, Jade suggested skipping Washington, D.C., for something new. The room went quiet. She realized then that for many of her classmates, a trip to the capital was a major milestone rather than a routine school event. It was an eye-opening moment about how different their paths to Lincoln had been and how much they could teach each other.

"They were like, ‘You don’t have to fit here. Just be with us,'" she recalled. "And that was beautiful."

Rising Through Challenge
That sense of community has seen Jade through significant hurdles. She lives with sickle cell anemia, a condition that sometimes makes it physically impossible to keep pace with a standard schedule. There were semesters when her body simply would not cooperate with deadlines.

She made it through by being honest with her professors. She found mentors in Professors Waters, Hines, Wilson and Shivers. These were educators who saw her as a person, not just a name on a roster.

"Lincoln is small, but the people here want to be here, and they want to help," she said. "They know I’m going to be a great teacher one day."

What Comes Next
After graduation, Jade plans to teach second grade, ideally at an arts-focused school. She loves theater and singing, and she wants to bring that performance energy into the classroom.

She won't be going far, though. Waters has already asked her to return as an outside adviser for Kappa Delta Pi. Jade didn't hesitate.

"All they have to do is call," she said. "I’ll be there."

When asked to describe Lincoln University in a single phrase, she calls it "a love letter." "A love letter always symbolizes something you pass to someone you love," she said. "My parents passed Lincoln to me with just as much love as I received it."

Jade Westbrooks is a senior elementary education major from Jefferson City, Missouri. She serves as president of Kappa Delta Pi, is a member of the Lincoln University honors program and holds the title of Miss Brown and Gold as an Iota sweetheart and Midwest Regional Secretary.