U-M Aerospace Engineering alumna Jasmine L. Sadler (BSAE ’09) discusses her journey to entrepreneurship and how she’s made an impact in the engineering, business, and education fields by founding The STEAM Collaborative.
Coming into the University of Michigan College of Engineering, Jasmine Sadler knew that she wanted to save lives following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Due to the conceptual similarities between aerospace engineering and ballet—which Jasmine had been trained in since she was five years old–she gravitated towards aerospace engineering. While dancing with the multi-cultural dance group ENCORE on campus, she applied lessons about gravity, physics, and centripetal force to her dance technique, intertwining her passion for engineering and the arts.
In the aerospace major, she found that it offered a diverse set of career options that served her multitude of interests. However, Jasmine wanted an engineering role that also honed her natural leadership skills. While working as a Quality Manager and Design, Test, and Quality Engineer, she began pursuing her MBA from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California which equipped her with the business knowledge and entrepreneurial savvy that led her to found The STEAM Collaborative in 2014. At the five-year anniversary of the launch of The STEAM Collaborative, Jasmine left the industry to begin working full-time as the Chief Executive Officer of The STEAM Collaborative. She strives to inspire girls and students of color to pursue their potential and exponentially increase equity in STEAM education with an additional focus on the arts.
Jasmine initially launched The STEAM Collaborative to offer tutoring services to middle school students. Now, the organization helps STEAM education leaders assess needs and customize a curriculum for the adults or students targeted to fill the STEAM technical gap. The turning point occurred when Jasmine hosted the STEAM Leaders Summit in 2017 which offered a conversational space for over thirty STEAM education leaders in business, arts, and engineering. She realized that the organizations would function better with collaboration, and that she could supply that connection.
Bringing all the leaders together at the STEAM Leader Summit made me realize that I could help all of these leaders collaborate with each other instead of having them run their organizations individually.”
Now, she works with over sixty STEAM leadership organizations to assist project directors, program managers, and adult and student leaders to manage and implement STEAM cultural enrichment programs. The organizations she works with span from all over the country including Detroit, D.C., New York, Chicago, the Bahamas, San Diego and parts of Southern California. Her success would not be possible without her confidence in herself and entrepreneurial spirit that motivated her to capitalize on her talents, and she wants to encourage other leaders to do the same, especially women.
“Women make for natural business leaders because they can care about, communicate with, and nurture their employees which creates a positive work environment.” “Women do all of these things in their companies for free because those skills just come naturally to a lot of women already. I’m committed to finding a better pipeline for women to use and market their skills to create a space where they can be compensated for their talents.”
Women make for natural business leaders because they can care about, communicate with, and nurture their employees which creates a positive work environment.
Jasmine Sadler, Michigan Aerospace Alumna
In addition to mentoring students and leaders in The STEAM collaborative, Jasmine inspiries women and students in engineering by serving as a mentor to aspiring engineers. She has helped her “little brothers and sisters” in industry by encouraging them to seize opportunities and believe in their own worth which has led to career advancements for her younger mentees.
“I’m most proud of my little brothers and sisters in engineering because they now understand their worth and that they are worthy of whatever they want,” Jasmine said.
This year, she is personally mentoring a college student from Nigeria who is attending her first year of university in Australia virtually. Jasmine is helping her navigate the time difference, aerospace engineering coursework, and career development skills while teaching her to view every setback as an opportunity to gain a new skill. Jasmine makes strenuous professional and personal efforts to make everyone feel worthy of greatness in STEAM and we laud her as an Aerospace Woman who is Making History.
Jasmine has been recognized for her accomplishments in aerospace engineering with several awards. She has been honored with the 2020 Connect All at the Jacobs Center Pitch Competition, 2020 San Diego Regional Chamber LEAD Advance, 2019 Blue Heart Activist of the Year, 2019 Moxie Theatre Awards, 2018 PLNU MBA Student of the Year, 2018 Umich Black Alumni Making A Difference Award, 2017 Global Social Innovation Challenge and the 2017 Hera Hub STEAM Trailblazer Award. Prior to working as the CEO of the STEAM Collaborative, Jasmine was a Quality Manager and Design, Test and Quality Engineer. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2009 and went on to receive her Master’s of Business from Point Loma Nazarene University graduating with a 4.0 and as Student of the Year in 2018. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education from the University of California, San Diego and California State University San Marcos.
Trained as a rocket scientist and ballerina, Ms. Jasmine L. Sadler, MBA lives her life on purpose through her company, The STEAM Collaborative, which increases the number of diverse children – of all genders and cultures – pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, alongside artistic endeavors.
