Batiste surprised; never saw top grad in her future

Jasmine Batiste said she wanted Southern University to show her how to professionally care for young people. She never saw graduating at the top of her class in the mix.

"I'm astonished," said Batiste, who was honor student at Brusly High School not far from the Baton Rouge campus. "To be at the top of my class at Southern University, that is something that really stands out."

Batiste, with a 3.6 gpa in Family and Consumer Sciences, was the chief student marshal for the summer 2013 graduate ceremony held Friday, Aug. 2 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center. The chief student marshal is the undergraduate with the highest gpa.

With her concentration in Early Childhood Development, Batiste said she has long desired to work with children. She plans to move on to graduate school at Southern in the field of accounting.

"When I finish my degree in accounting, I want to own my own childhood development center and run it myself," she said.