Finding Greatness: Vanessa Jimison

Author: News Bureau
Posted: Monday, November 29, 2021 12:00 AM
Categories: Students | Pressroom | School of Arts and Letters | Finding Greatness

Macon, GA

Vanessa Jimison is an Army veteran now studying creative writing as part of her MGA English degree program and is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Name: Vanessa Lynn Jimison.

Hometown: Gelnhausen, Hesse, Germany.  

Residence: Bonaire.

Family: Mother, Deborah Davis; siblings, John, Jennifer, Rex, Daniel, Clare, Theresa, Elizabeth, and Sophia. Soulmate, Wes. Pets, Queenie Beanie, Fenrir, and a new one waiting to be named – all bearded dragons.

Employment: "I’m an orthopaedic massage therapist in private practice."

Degree Objective: Bachelor of Arts in English in the creative writing concentration.  

Class Rank: Junior.

Primary Campus: Macon.

Activities: Content editor, Fall Line Review; German Club; Sigma Alpha Pi (National Society of Leadership and Success); Macon Writers Club.

Career Goals: “I absolutely love being an orthopaedic massage therapist, and I don’t plan to change my career, but I’m pursuing this degree because I love learning and I love to write.”

She chose Middle Georgia State University because … “It offers such a diverse range of courses and it’s also convenient. When I first enrolled, I was fresh out of the Army, having served as a medic and paratrooper, and originally I was pursuing a nursing degree. I fell in love with literature and poetry classes, though, and decided that was the direction I was going to take, so I changed my major in order to start studying more of those things. I love writing poetry especially, so I know I made the right choice!”

The greatest thing she discovered about Middle Georgia State was … “The professors! I’ve been so lucky to have great professors for so many of my classes.”

Her greatest academic experience at Middle Georgia State has been … “Getting to read some of my poetry at the 2018 Undergraduate Conference!”

To her, “greatness” means … “Achieving success, however you define it, day by day, overcoming obstacles with dignity, grit, enthusiasm, and compassion, and being adaptable to the changes that life inevitably brings. Getting from point A to point B is almost never linear – there are obstacles and challenges and unexpected changes to adapt to and overcome, and that’s the rhythm of life. When we can dance with it and keep smiling and keep helping those around us, we are living greatness.”  

In five years … “I will continue my career in bodywork and keep writing poetry.”