Jasmine Haskins is the first recipient of the Bill Miller BFA Scholarship in Creative Writing, established to support undergraduate creative writing students who are part of an under-represented group at Mason or who are involved in a community group, activity or registered student organization that works on issues or causes related to under-represented groups. The scholarship provides $2500 in support.
“Jasmine is so clearly a worthy recipient to inaugurate this scholarship, I am honored by her having been selected,” said Miller. “She clearly is a talented writer, and I hope that this support and her having been selected will encourage her to develop her talent to its fullest potential. I think we will be seeing her by-line accompanying a lot of written words before long, and I wish her well as she works toward that goal.”
Miller, MFA ’87, taught at Mason for 33 years, directed the creative writing program from 1992 to 2018, and, among other things, helped start the BFA in creative writing during his time. It is one of only a handful of such programs for undergraduate in the country.
Haskins was raised in Virginia and grew up reading fantasy and supernatural fiction with her father, which led to her writing fiction throughout most of her childhood. In high school, she discovered poetry through a school project, which she primarily writes today.
“I’ve always had an interest in reading and writing that has only strengthened over time thanks to my family’s influence,” Haskins says. “Their storytelling and passions still influence me to this day.”
Haskins says that her experience in the creative writing program at Mason has given her the space to grow and change as a writer. Her favorite class was an Advanced Poetry Workshop, which she took with Professor Eric Pankey last semester.
“It was such an insightful session,” Haskins says. “I enjoyed the poets, Professor Pankey’s feedback, and the amazing people I got the chance to workshop with. I felt so happy that I got to be Professor Pankey’s last class before his retirement, and a poem I workshopped in that class was actually published in Volition’s Spring Issue.”
According to Haskins, achieving this award will help her further pursue her career as a writer. “I had so many doubts about myself, my writing, and my career choices so after hearing that I was selected for something because of my writing, I cried. After supporting myself through school for so long to have this help as I finish my time at Mason feels like a blessing and a push forward to my career as a writer.”
October 28, 2024