Jessica Susaita-Monroe is a native to Mexico and Corsicana, Texas. A graduate of Corsicana High School, Jessica made the confident decision to pursue her associate degree at Navarro College, with the assurance that it was a great starting point for her as a first-generation student. During her first year, she was active in the Student Recruiting department, where she can recall the majority of her favorite memories from her time at Navarro.

After graduating with her AAS degree from Navarro College in 2015, Jessica continued her education and graduated in 2017 with a BS in Animal Science from Texas A&M University. Now, she is a PhD candidate at TAMU within the school of Animal Science. Her studies focus on reproductive physiology, in which she is co-author to the recently published study “Developmental programming of the neuroendocrine axis by steroid hormones: insights from the sheep model of PCOS” in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology. Additionally, Jessica produced a first-author study, “Postnatal obesity amplifies the effect of GnRH-induced LH release in prenatal testosterone-treated female sheep,” which she presented at the American Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting in 2023. She plans to complete her PhD in December 2025. “I think of my Navarro College experience often… the classes, the environment. I miss it and I try to bring the NC culture to where I am now” she reflects. “Navarro College really helped set me up for success to continue my education at a larger university. The small class sizes and caring professors equipped me with the tools I would need to be successful anywhere I went after graduation.”

“I’ve always dreamed of pursuing higher education,” Jessica explains when talking about her doctoral candidacy. However, she owes much of her resilience to the professors at Navarro College whose confidence in her remained when her own waivered. “Sometimes the only thing a student needs is a reminder that they are capable of more than they think.” Outside of her studies, Jessica enjoys spending time with her family, husband Thomas, and their two cats and one dog.

 

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