Jessica Thomas is currently attending the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg and matriculating towards a B.A. in English – Professional/Technical Writing. She has worked and edited for USFSP’s The Crow’s Nest and Fashion Fierce magazine; and is currently a blogger/reporter with Gen Y Hub. Jessica started writing at a very young age, having her very first poem published at the age of 14 in Young Florida Writers ’99. She also participated in journalistic summer programs at USFSP’s Poynter Institute. Aside from writing, she has participated in both musical theatre and opera. Jessica is also a member of the Florida Writer’s Association and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health).

Jessica’s specialties include informative, inspirational, and awareness writing with particular emphasis on human rights; and she blogs passionately about her experiences with yoga, mental illness awareness, spirituality, and life in general. When she is not writing for the Hub or attending classes she is usually gaming, fire walking, watching True Blood, or reading.

VIEW JESSICA'S PREVIOUS WORK WITH USFSP'S THE CROW'S NEST HERE

VIEW JESSICA'S RESUME HERE

HEALTH & NUTRITION

The Stigma of Mental Illness

With over 60 million American's suffering from some form of mental illness, it's time to have a national discussion.

Gen Y Veterans: The War Doesn't End At Home

Like Vietnam, a high rate of service members returning from Afghanistan and Iraq gradually display ill mental health effects due to combat. Nearly 300,000 returning veterans report symptoms of PTSD.

MUSIC

Dessa: Bringing Awareness to Hip Hop

When you think of hip-hop artists, socially conscious musicians don't usually come to mind. But even the 24^th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum attendees were impressed by what Dessa had to say. 

ART & DESIGN

University of Florida, Gainesville Blue Tree Exhibit

UFG is the first university to commission a Blue Tree exhibition from Konstantin Dimopoulos- the installation artist that draws attention to global deforestation. 

OCCUPY YOUR HEART

Annica Benning: A Warrior Of Native American Culture

ASU's Annica Benning proves the value of youth activism as she pens, photographs and publishes Arizona: Nations and Art, a book dedicated to the proliferation of Native American culture and art.