Jessica began working in higher education in 2014 at McKendree University as the inaugural staff member in the Center for Community Service. She moved to Saint Louis University in 2017 into a new position in the Center for Service and Community Engagement focused on advocacy and social change. Prior to her work in higher education, Jessica graduated from Saint Louis University as a first generation college student with a Bachelors in Social Work and International Studies. After graduating, she moved to the Federated States of Micronesia to teach high school for two years. In 2013, she completed her Master in Social Work at Columbia University in New York City with an emphasis in Social Policy. During her studies in New York, she worked with Voices of Women Organizing Project, a community organizing nonprofit working with survivors of domestic violence. After six months in Central America during college, and various trips back to the region, as well as time along the US-Mexico border, Jessica has a passion for immigration policy.