Jlee Clark was named a Smith Scholar for 2025. She is one of only 33 JAG graduates to be selected for this honor.
The Kenneth M. Smith Scholarship fund was established by the JAG Board in 2009 to honor the indelible leadership of JAG’s founder and CEO from the program’s inception in 1979 to October 2024. Scholarships are awarded to JAG participants in pursuit of a postsecondary degree or certificate, including: a public or private two-year community college, technical college, public or private four-year college/university, or an apprenticeship or trade school.
Testimonials
JAG has been a life changer.
JAG pushes us out of our comfort zone. It has truly helped me find my voice. I have learned how to voice my opinions the right way – when to speak and when to listen. Without JAG I have no doubt I would still be living my old life. I wish I could have found my voice sooner, but the important thing now is: I have found it, and I will never let it go.
Born into a family where addiction was a generational struggle, Destany Massey faced her own battles with substance abuse and a life lacking direction. Determined to break free from the cycle of trauma and hardship, she sought a different path. That path led her to the JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates Missouri) program, a turning point she never saw coming. With the unwavering support of the program and her teacher, Destany found purpose, healing, and hope.
“JAG and my teacher literally saved my life,” she shares. Through resilience and determination, Destany overcame addiction, broke the chains of a painful past, and transformed her life into a story of success and the promise of a brighter future.
Before I joined JAG, I was lost. JAG provided assistance in pinpointing a career and making steps in order to pursue it. My JAG Specialist motivated me to make connections and to continue my education in the emergency response industry. JAG has changed my life!
I felt hopeless because no matter what I did, I thought the future I wanted was too far out of reach. I wasn’t smart enough or rich enough to live the life I wanted. Because of this, at the age of 15, I exploded. Everything parents pray their child isn’t doing, I was, or I was trying to. In the midst of this self destruction, the greatest opportunity came up and shook my hand. I went from dropping out to picking up my cap and gown. JAG didn’t save my life, it taught me how to save my own.
