Jennifer Sharp (’13)

“My experience at CBU is one that I will never forget because the lessons I learned, inside and outside of the classroom, have shaped me into the woman that I am today, both personally and professionally.”

Jennifer LaRose Sharp, a native Memphian, came to CBU after graduating from George Washington Carver High School as a member of the National Honor Society. Majoring in English for Corporate Communications and minoring in Business Administration, Jennifer was an involved student, serving as a CBU Peer Counselor and President’s Ambassador and active in the Black Student Association and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority — for which she served as Secretary and 2nd Vice President. “My favorite CBU memory was joining the Alpha Mu chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated,” she recalls. “It is my favorite moment because I found a close-knit group of like-minded young women that I could connect with on campus as I worked to earn my bachelor’s degree.”

Jennifer also received a student internship with the Catholic Diocese of Memphis and served as an AmeriCorps Facilitator at BRIDGES. She worked on campus as a writing consultant with the CBU Writing Center, a virtual counselor in the Admissions Office, and an office assistant in the Graduate & Professional Studies Department. As an ECC major, she also served as an editor for CBU’s Castings literary/arts journal and earned a Professional Writing Certificate upon graduating with her BA in 2013.

During her post-graduate career, Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer and editor, an Assistant Account Executive for KQ Communications, and a Marketing Assistant for the Southern College of Optometry. In 2020, she took a position with the Shelby County Government as a Public Information Specialist for the Health Department’s COVID-19 Task Force and has since moved to the Shelby County Mayor’s Office as a Policy & Communications Fellow and her current position as Strategic Communications Specialist for the Mayor’s Office of Innovation & Performance Analysis.

Jennifer has also been an active member of the Memphis Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), serving on the board and as Vice President of Programming before assuming the role of President in January 2022. PRSA has recognized her professional acumen with its Rising Star Award in 2017 and by naming her Chapter Member of the Year in 2021. Jennifer has also received VOX Awards for Brand Management in 2017 for Special Events in 2015 and 2016.

Jennifer has also been very active in the Memphis community, as a member of the Junior League of Memphis and as chair of its Sweet Cheeks Committee, a member of the Young Professionals Council of the Greater Memphis Chamber, and as a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the Memphis Association of Black Journalists. She is also still active in Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, currently as a member of the Alpha Eta Zeta Chapter.

The lesson I learned at CBU that has helped me in life is to always live by the core Lasallian Principles. Since my time at CBU, I have been using my time, talents, and influence to be of service to others, to value education, and to stand up for what’s right.