Jasmine Davis, a speech therapist for Selma City Schools, knew she wanted give back to the community that she grew up in.

Being from the Queen City, Davis is a product of the Selma City School system and a graduate of Alabama A&M University where she earned her degree in communicative sciences and disorders.

“I wanted to be a teacher at first, … because both of my parents were teachers. They motivated me to work with children,” Davis said of her parents Foster Davis Jr. and Regina.

“Having them as my heroes, I always looked up to them and wanted to do exactly what they did.”

But in school, she quickly realized that being in a classroom with a group of children every day might not be exactly what she wants to do. That’s when she thought of speech.

“I went to a career fair at the school one day, and the speech pathologists were there and they got my attention,” Davis said.

“I [wondered] how could I still work with children, how could I still be in the school system, but not be in a class full of 20 or more [students] all day.”

Davis enjoys being able to work with children in more of a one-on-one setting or small group setting.

“I enjoy working with each child individually,” Davis said. “I enjoy it, because I not only work with children, I work with parents as well.”

Davis also has to tailor each plan to match each child, making sure they have the best possible program designed for their success.

“This field is a unique field,” Davis said. “Not all children have the same speech issue, so I have to uniquely design plans according to the child.”

Davis said it really takes everyone to make a difference in a child’s speech.

“It takes a family effort, it takes the child’s effort, it takes the teachers input,” Davis said. “It takes everyone.”

Davis said it’s a lot of work, but seeing a child’s progress at the end of a year makes it all worth it.

“It’s magnificent [to see their progress]. There’s nothing I enjoy more,” Davis said.

“I had one parent to tell me one time to tell me that whatever you’re doing, it’s working. To see parents and the teachers notice the difference, that is the most rewarding to me.”