A Specialist in JAG for me means being everything for all the different kinds of students. It gives me an opportunity to really impact young people in our area in ways that I never would have the opportunity to do outside of JAG. Being a JAG Specialist gives me an opportunity to coach and kind of be the quarterback but also sometimes just be a part of the team and really celebrate some successes that the students have in the classroom when they really start to discover who they are because of JAG.

Through the work of the Specialist I think they do an outstanding job really preparing young people for the labor force. The Specialist in my opinion is sort of like the glue that keeps it together. I think they’re invaluable. I think they go way beyond the call of duty to ensure their students are prepared and supported. A lot of the times I think the Specialist is the individual that serves not just as the teacher or mentor at the school but they sometimes serve as an extended family member. JAG is the foundation in a lot of the student lives because in many cases the Specialist holds such esteem value to many of the students because in some cases the first adult that may have shown care for a student often times might be the Specialist.