The First Volunteer: Jasmine Francois and the Early Days of Generation Hope

Today, Generation Hope stands as a national organization with programs that have directly served over 500 student parents and shaped the way students, professionals, and institutions across higher education think about what's possible.  But what is now a multi-region, multi-pronged organization began as an idea, kicked off in a Washington D.C. living room. 

This first gathering was small but would prove to be impactful. Every person in the room mattered, and Jasmine Francois was one of them.

She didn’t really know the purpose of the organization but happily attended the meeting to support a friend who didn’t want to go to the interest meeting alone.

The gathering was across the city, farther than was convenient, tucked inside a small living room. There was no sense yet of what Generation Hope would become. Just a few attendees, a banner leaning somewhere in the room, and a woman named Nicole talking about an idea that felt both simple and urgent.

Jasmine didn’t arrive with a plan to get involved, but remembers leaving with a decision already made. She added her name to the list, shared her email, and said yes to the first opportunity that came.

Not long after, she found herself on the metro early in the morning, heading to a community college for one of Generation Hope’s first gatherings of student parents and mentors. Her role was straightforward: childcare. But in showing up that day, Jasmine made history — she became Generation Hope's very first volunteer.

There were only a few children at the time—two, maybe three. They wanted snacks, attention, something familiar to hold onto while their parents stepped into another room to focus on their goals. Jasmine remembers how easy it felt in comparison to what the student parents were carrying. Showing up, being present, making sure the children were safe and cared for—it didn’t feel like much.

But it was.

Jasmine volunteering with childcare at a Generation Hope in-service training in 2012

The community they were building, in those early days, was tangible and life changing. Relationships were forming in real time. Student parents – who may have been the only parent in their friend group – were building friendships with other young parents that could relate to their experiences. Without the time, energy and attention of volunteers like Jasmine, those bonds may not exist.

At the time, Jasmine was a college student herself, navigating her own academic path, working to stay afloat. The student parents in the program weren’t distant from her—they were her peers. Classmates, in another context. People her age, managing responsibilities that extended far beyond the classroom.

Watching them reshaped how she understood dedication.

“I felt like if I could give up a Saturday morning so they could focus, that was nothing,” she says. “They were doing something much bigger.”

The lesson was clear: it is possible to pursue your goals and be present for your family. But not without support. That truth became something she returned to again and again.

Generation Hope’s expansion from one room to many, from D.C. to multiple regions couldn’t have happened without volunteers like Jasmine. More volunteers meant more children, and more children meant more scholars. Growth came slowly, steadily, and was always human-centered. What seemed incremental was transformative.

There was no single turning point but instead an accumulation of people saying yes. And those small increases carried real weight.

And at the center of it all, was a sense of closeness that didn’t need to be explained.

“Community wasn’t something we talked about—you could see it happening in real time,” she said.

It looked like student parents leaning on each other between sessions. It looked like mentors opening doors and sharing networks. It looked like someone like Nicole as a both leader and lived example, offering guidance that extended beyond programming. Sharing her own experiences in ways that made the path forward feel possible, not theoretical.

Everyone brought something. Time. Experience. Encouragement. And in doing so, they created space for student parents to move forward.

Over time, her involvement deepened. She supported events and stepped into roles that went beyond what she initially expected.

Like the time she agreed—without hesitation—to wear a full gecko mascot costume at an early Generation Hope event after a sponsorship opportunity came through. She had never done anything like it before. But she said yes, stepped into the role fully, and showed up exactly where the organization needed her.

That devotion to service was one of Jasmine’s most prominent attributes.

And it’s exactly why, when it came time to honor her with the very first Volunteer of the Year award Jasmine had to be reluctantly pulled from her classroom. She had been so immersed in her role that she didn’t understand that evening’s shift — in her mind, she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

“I was just so in it,” she said. “They were like, bring a nice dress for dinner, you’re going to get to eat. And I was like, okay…but why wouldn’t I eat with the kids?”

She eventually made her way into the room, still half-focused on everything she had just stepped away from. As the next award was introduced, she listened without thinking much of it—until the description started to sound familiar.

“I was like, wait, what?” she recalled. “And then they said my name.”

Only then did it come together and even then, the recognition felt secondary to the work itself.

And that dedication to service, to meeting the moment was echoed in the organization’s approach to the work. By the end of that first year, Generation Hope hosted its first “Under the Stars” event—a full-scale banquet that felt unexpectedly ambitious for such a young organization. Even Jasmine remembers questioning it. Wondering why something so new would take on something so big so quickly.

Nicole’s response stayed with her.

“If you’re going to do it, do it big. Or don’t do it at all.”

That mindset of commitment, dedication, and excellence provided a framework for how she navigates her own life, even today.

Jasmine with Nicole Lynn Lewis, Founder and CEO of Generation Hope, at Nicole’s book signing for Student Parent: The Fight for Families, the Cost of Poverty, and the Power of College in Dallas, Texas

Years later, her connection to Generation Hope didn’t fade. It shifted. Life moved forward, as it does, but the alignment remained. So when she learned the organization was expanding to Dallas, where she now lives, it didn’t feel like something new.

Now a parent herself, she recognizes the weight of what Generation Hope was working to make possible for the families it serves.

“You can be a good parent and still go after your goals,” she says. “I saw that early on, and it stayed with me.”

What started in a living room now reaches student parents across the country. And none of the work – or the growth – would be possible without people like Jasmine who choose to show up and provide support that meets real needs. When you invest in someone’s ability to move forward, the impact extends far beyond one person.

“It’s a way to fight poverty that feels direct,” Jasmine says. “You’re supporting people who want to support themselves. And that changes everything for their families.”

The scale may look different now. But the work is still rooted in the same kind of moments that started it — someone showing up, saying yes, and discovering that in helping others grow they’ve grown as well

Jasmine came to Generation Hope to support a friend. She stayed because the mission held her. And somewhere along the way, the organization that she helped build also shaped who she became — as a volunteer, as a parent, as professional and as a person.

The organization grew. So did she. And it all traces back to the same thing — a community that chose to show up, again and again.  

To Jasmine, and to every volunteer who has given their time, energy, and presence over the years — thank you. You are not a footnote in this story. You are the reason it exists.

If you're ready to be part of what comes next, we'd love to have you. Learn more about volunteering with Generation Hope today.