Alumni Spotlight: Yasmin Seabrook

Following Your Heart

by, Destanie Jefferson-Lee, Emanni Jenkins

Photo: Courtesy

The best cheerleading coach in the city of Newark, Yasmin Seabrook, known to us as Coach Yas graduated from University High School in 2012. Still in her early twenty’s, Coach Yas believes  her life is set and she is comfortable with the life she’s living. This is Coach Yas' second year as the cheerleading coach for University High School. When we asked her about her high school days, you hear that Coach Yas was mouthy, shady and she was the mean girl. However, when you get to know Ms. Seabrook, you can grasp her determination, her ambition, her passion. Emanni Jenkins and I, sat down for an up close and personal interview with our coach. We are pleased to share this alumna's story.

Are you still in school, if so what college/university?

“Yes, I attend Fairleigh Dickinson University.”

Do you believe that FDU is it what you want/need in a school?

“From an educational standpoint FDU is everything. It is a private Division I school.  I was able to experience the “college life” while at this university. I was able to dorm my 4 years of undergrad and get the full 'college life'. Dorm life vs commuter life allows you to see college differently. Overall, FDU is very diverse. This allowed me the chance to meet so many different people from all over. “

Did University adequately prepare you for college?

“Yes! University High prepared me in more ways than one. I was able to master time management while attending UHS. In college time management can literally make or break a student. At UHS I was a student-athlete, and I had teachers who pushed me to do and be my very best. I had assignments that were due and my teacher wouldn’t remind us. This may seem harsh but in reality, that’s how college is. You get a syllabus and your professors sometimes will never bring the assignment up again until it’s due. There is no reminder. University prepared me for that portion of college. Also, as a student-athlete I had to juggle my classwork around the schedule of my practices/games. Because this was something I did in high school, learning time management help me perfect being a student-athlete in college. “

What do you do now? Do you enjoy it?

“Currently I am back in school finishing up my Masters. I also coach cheerleading which was the sport I did in college on scholarship. Last year, I was able to take a step in to my career goal and teach. I enjoyed and loved my year of teaching and I can’t wait to continue. I decided to take this year and finish up with school so that I can be completely done. I'm trying not to teach and take night class while still coaching. That would have been overwhelming. To me finishing my education now while I’m still young is important to me. “

Is the career you’re doing now the career you wanted? If not, what changed?

“This is the career I dreamed of. That’s why I say, “follow your heart”. I did what made “Yasmin” happy and to me that’s all that mattered.”

What influenced you to do what you’re doing today?

“The teachers I have encountered in middle school and high school made me choose my career oath. I had so many teachers’ who became mentors to me. “Tough Love” pushed me. I always said I wanted to be like the women who were in my life. Those women gave back to their community. In the city of Newark being a teacher is more than that. You teach students who face real life issues and to some you become a parent, mother figure. While I may not have needed all of that, it meant so much to me. University’s motto is “pay it forward” and I believe I’m doing just that. I came back to the high school I attended and coached the sport I use to do. I went back to the city that taught me and I began teaching other students. There is no greater feeling as an alumni University High School. “

If you had to go back to the day you graduated, would you change any of the steps you have taken since then?

“No! every step I took whether it be good or bad was a lesson learned. If I were to go back and change something I would be risking a different life and I love the life, I live. If I made a mistake the lesson taught me something and I bounced back, I had a different appreciation for things. Life happens and things don’t always go as planned but I wouldn’t change a thing because all those lessons made me the person I am today. Although I’m not perfect I’m satisfied with the “me” that I am today.”

Do you feel like you are set in life right now?

“I believe I am comfortable and at a stage where I can continue to grow. I believe both University High School and Fairleigh Dickinson University prepared me for the real world. So much is happening in America today so one can never be completely set but I can say that I can tackle whatever comes my way. For me this is only the beginning, I have so much more that I want and will accomplish. “

You have a large amount of seniors on our team, what advice would you give the or any other UHS student?

“I would tell students the most cliché saying but very powerful. “Follow you heart and do what makes you happy!” often times people don’t realize that sometimes the lives they are living is not for them but in fact for someone else i.e their parents. Graduating college may have been what my parents wanted and expected from me but I graduated for YASMIN. I say follow your heart because so much work goes into getting your degree and I can’t see someone putting in so much work and effort and not be completely happy or doing what they want. Teaching was always what I wanted to do so taking classes for me was fun because everyday I was able to learn more and more about my career. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else besides teaching and coaching. I knew I made the right decision when I would wake up for work and it didn’t feel like I was going to work it felt like I was going to my happy place. “

Many of her cheerleaders think Coach Yas is shady, and mean but she does this to push us to be better. This is her showing us love. After interviewing her, I can see her drive, and motivation, from doing night classes, teaching and then coming to University to coach. I applaud her and her. No matter what is said about her, Coach Yas did what made her happy and that is a path that we should all take.