This summer, Jasmine Morris ’23 (CAHNR) is working with students from the Horizons program at Ethel Walker School in Simsbury to teach them about animal science and support their socio-emotional learning.
Horizons is a national program that supports disadvantaged elementary and secondary school students through programs that promote educational equality. The Ethel Walker School’s program serves students who attend public schools in Hartford.
Morris, originally from East Hartford, Connecticut, has been volunteering with Horizons for seven years at The Ethel Walker School, Horizons’ first girls-only program.
The summer after her sophomore year, Morris returned to volunteering with the program, which hadn’t been conducted in person since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that many students struggled to adjust to being back in the classroom.
“These kids needed an outlet for what they’re feeling,” Morris says.
Morris thought back to her own time in high school, where she had the opportunity to take advantage of the Youth Ambassador K-9 program, a program that taught students about working dogs. Morris recalls having therapy dogs there while the teachers chatted with her and her classmates after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
“For me, it was really about thinking back to my own experience and what helped me,” Morris says. “While I didn’t understand why at the time, I knew I felt better since the dog was here.”
Morris wanted to harness the therapeutic power of animals for this generation of students.
With support from a UConn IDEA Grant, Morris gives students hands-on experience with animals and teaches them about the field of animal science.
Morris’s teachings highlight traditional and lesser-known aspects of animal science, including guest speakers such as zoologists, researchers, animal nutrition representatives, veterinarians, and animal caretakers.
Morris says she hopes to inspire these students to study animal sciences and pursue careers in the field.
“The field is so big,” Morris says. “That’s something I want to share with them.”
Since kindergarten, Morris knew she wanted to work with animals. But at the time, she thought she could only do that by becoming a veterinarian.
“UConn Animal Science opened my eyes to just how vast the field of animal science was,” Morris says. “It wasn’t until I visited UConn that I could really appreciate how broad animal science can be.”
Morris’ classes take place three times a week, with information on animal care that links to socio-emotional learning. For example, students learn how to approach animals safely and have a discussion about reading human body language.
“All of my classes are focused on giving them access to things they wouldn’t get during their normal school experience,” Morris says.
As part of the project, Horizons students had the opportunity to visit the Storrs campus, see the facilities, and get an inside look at what life might be like for an animal science major.
Through UConn’s animal science program, Morris was able to learn about animal assisted therapy and is pursuing a minor in therapeutic horse riding education.
Morris wants to continue this type of work after graduation and plans to continue her education to obtain a Master of Social Work focused on human-animal interactions. She thanks several supporters for their help in guiding her to this project: her project advisor and Neag associate professor Tamika La Salle, Rev. Augustus Sealy, who helped inspire Morris and motivated her to sign up for this project, and Linda Blick , her old mentor .
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