Article by Julie Waechter, special to ԹϹ State
“ԹϹ has been more than a college for our family; it has been part of our story of resilience, opportunity, and generational success,” said Jamela Brown upon her youngest daughter’s recent graduation from ԹϹ. All three of her children were student athletes and earned bachelor’s degrees in kinesiology.
New grad Destinee Paulk ’26 followed her uncle and two older sisters to ԹϹ State. She played basketball and will continue as a graduate assistant next year as she begins her master’s degree.
“Our family connection to ԹϹ began with my brother, Nathen Brown ‘04,” Brown explained. He played football and ran track at ԹϹ State and is now a clinical therapist in San Diego, CA.
Brown’s oldest daughter, Deaijah Paulk ’19, ‘22, played basketball and ran track as an undergraduate, then earned master’s with an emphasis in exercise science. She is now a clinical exercise physiologist in Tampa, FL, and a traveling clinical exercise physiologist.
Jazmin Paulk ’20 played volleyball and basketball at ԹϹ State and then studied occupational therapy at Parker University in Texas. She is now a special education teacher in Green Valley Ranch in Denver. She also serves as a CASA volunteer and coaches a club volleyball team.
“Education has always been important in our family,” said Brown, who teaches in a remote Alaskan village while pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership. She said in 2002 she and her daughters moved to Colorado Springs from San Diego.
“I was starting over and building a safer future for my children. My daughters have grown into resilient overcomers, and I am very proud they and my brother have all been connected to ԹϹ as students, athletes, and graduates,” she said. “Their journeys show strength, determination, and the power of education.”
