Coordinator Spotlight: Jasmine “Jas” Atobajeun

April 17, 2025

We are excited to introduce the newest member of our team, Jasmine “Jas” Atobajeun! Jas is a Texas native, UT graduate, sports fan, and world traveler. Her experience working with afterschool and summer programming will make her an invaluable member of our team.

Jas was raised in the Woodlands area of Houston, Texas. She attended Woodlands College Park High School, which she says was very competitive.

“There was an expectation that we were going to college, so we had a lot of support with preparing for college and figuring out where we would fit best.”

She initially didn’t know what she wanted to study in college, but she knew she wanted to go to a big school. As UT is one of the best schools in the state, it quickly became her top choice.

Jas started at the College of Architecture, but realized it wasn’t the right fit. She made the switch to Kinesiology to pursue physical therapy, which sits inside the College of Education. While working on her degree, Jas decided to also obtain a teaching certificate. This proved a good choice, as her first job upon graduation was as a middle school English teacher at Del Valle ISD.

After a year of teaching, Jas transitioned to a site director position with the Greater Austin YMCA leading afterschool programming. She was thrilled by this opportunity as she’d been involved in YMCA programs as a child herself. In this position, she found a passion for supporting students and families in out-of-school-time care.

Jas worked with the YMCA for three years, working her way up to the position of Program Director of afterschool and summer camps of the Greater Austin area. In her role, she led programs put on by the YMCA and ensured the frontline staff were meeting program standards.

“My role was making sure the programs ran smoothly. Making sure my staff were getting their trainings done, watching the kids, implementing curriculum, as well as communicating changes and program details to parents, dealing with questions and concerns, a little bit of everything.”

In order to grow her career, Jas decided to pivot to an area of childcare she hasn’t yet experienced—high school students.

“I’m looking forward to working with older kids! I’ve only ever worked with elementary and middle school students.

Working with high school students who are looking toward their futures and figuring out what they want to do with their lives is going to be exciting.”

Outside of work, Jas loves to watch movies and sports. She is also an athlete involved in many recreational leagues, including basketball, volleyball, kickball, and dodgeball. One of her favorite hobbies is traveling the world. Jas says she is most excited about traveling with the academies in her new role as GeoFORCE coordinator, and she is looking forward to gaining geologic knowledge of places we go.

The GeoFORCE team is thrilled to welcome our newest member, and we know she will be a fantastic asset to our summer camp and school year programming!