By JACKSON WANG
Executive Editor
It’s normal for a freshman in college to be soft spoken, quiet, and reserved to themselves. But to go from staying out of the spotlight to being one of the most known students at The College of Saint Rose is not typical.
“In my freshman year, I didn’t want to do anything,” said Jermaine Brookshire, Jr., a senior that will be graduating this Saturday with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and political science. “It was because I was just new to the area and I didn’t know a lot of people.”
But that was nearly four years ago.
What got Brookshire to become part of Saint Rose was a frequent walk through of Alana Steppers’ practice. The much familiar trip turned into an opportunity for Brookshire to get involved, who was a freshman at the time.
“I would walk by their practice all the time and one day they asked me if I wanted to be their trainer,” said Brookshire, who’s had experience with fitness from playing sports in high school. “It really got me started.”
Since then, Brookshire has been the president of the debate team, a voice in helping get Centennial Hall built, a face for Saint Rose commercials, and the CEO of the Great Expectations Movement.
He’s come a long way with his journey to Saint Rose starting in New Haven, Conn., where he attended Wilbur Cross High School. While in high school, Brookshire had already began to show leadership skills, acting as captain of both the football and wrestling team.
But as his senior year in high school came to a close, Brookshire had to make a decision on what college he wanted to attend in fall 2009. His choices came down to three, Syracuse University, Morehouse College, and The College of Saint Rose.
Saint Rose began to be the best choice for Brookshire, Jr. after he saw the three institutions from the financial point of view. But what sold Brookshire on coming to Saint Rose was a simple trip to the student solution center, while on a campus visit.
While at the student solution center, he talked to a large number of employees there and began to see a trend.
“I noticed all of them were graduates of Saint Rose that decided to stay around. I also saw that their kids also attended Saint Rose, which shows the family that Saint Rose is,” said Brookshire. “That made me want to be part of the Saint Rose family.”
But as stated before, the start of life at Saint Rose was tough for Brookshire, even in the classrooms. He started as a communications major, wanting to be on camera. But that changed quickly.
“I got a rude awakening,” said Brookshire, after taking a few classes in the communications department.
He soon decided being on camera wouldn’t be in his future, so he changed his major to philosophy and political science.
From there, it’s been uphill for Brookshire.
After finalizing on two majors, used his political science experiences to become the president of the debate team. That’s where he got the opportunity to visit the United Nations in New York City and meet some of the ambassadors.
“It was cool and scary at the same time,” said Brookshire.
From there, he also had the chance to intern at the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the New York State Senate. Brookshire said through those two experiences, he said he “feels very prepared for the future.”
And while all this was going on, Brookshire managed to find time to squeeze in another project into his life, his own non-profit organization called Great Expectations Movement.
He started this group after going through tough times in the summer of 2012, where Brookshire was hit with a “big shot of humility.” That summer, Brookshire spent a brief period of time homeless and living in a shelter.
“He is the type of person that pushes through anything no matter the obstacle,” said Gerald Moore, Jr., senior, who serves as president for Great Expectations Movement. “He is not only physically strong, but also mentally strong and rarely lets anything get him down.”
The goal of the Great Expectations Movement is to help individuals think about becoming better than what they already are. It consists of “Five Gems to Success: Dream, Plan, Execute, Achieve, and Give Back.”
“It’s doing great,” said Brookshire.
Moore, who’s been friends with Brookshire Jr. since their freshman year, said it’s been great to work with Brookshire because they get to push each other towards greatness, while feeding off of each other’s ambitions.
“We keep each other motivated,” said Moore.
Brookshire said one person on campus that really gets him motivated to always do better is Mary Grondahl, vice president of enrollment management.
“I can’t say enough on how much she helps me,” said Brookshire.
Grondahl, who’s known Brookshire. since his freshman year, said she’s gained more from his presence than he has from her.
“Jermaine’s quest for greatness, his spirit and drive always remind me that what I do is very, very important,” said Grondahl. ”Being a part of Jermaine’s journey through Saint Rose is extremely meaningful.”
After graduation, Brookshire plans on traveling down to Washington D.C. to find work. He still hopes to attend law school somewhere in the future and ultimately reach his goal of becoming a Supreme Court Justice.
“I have no doubt that Jermaine will go on to law school and one day sit on the Supreme Court – which is his goal,” said Brookshire. “If that’s what he wants, he’ll achieve it.”
But as much as Brookshire has accomplished while at Saint Rose, he said his first obligation is to always give back. He said he learns this role from Dr. Mark Sullivan and Dr. David Szczerbacki.
“These guys have so much to do and makes time for students,” said Brookshire.
As his Saint Rose career comes to a close, Brookshire said there’s one important thing he’s learned in his four years in Albany.
“No matter how hard you work, you will never be as great as you can be if you don’t open up.”
