Jessica Josiah joins this year’s 2022-2023 athletic season with the Howard University Men’s and Women’s Tennis team, serving her first season as Assistant Coach. A former bison herself (H-U! YOU KNOW!), Jessica graduated Cum Laude in December 2017 as a psychology major and African American studies minor, while also committing four years on full scholarship to the Howard Women’s tennis team. While on the tennis team, Jessica completed her career playing number 1 singles and doubles and earning both the Freshman of the Year and the Most Valuable Player Award her senior year as a representative for the Howard women’s tennis team.
After graduating from university, Jessica moved back to her hometown in Sacramento, CA where she began working at The Center at Sierra Health Foundation— an independent non- profit foundation, dedicated to eradicating health inequities in the Sacramento area. For two years Jessica served as a Program Assistant for The Center, working in partnership with systems and community organizations that honor cultural differences and build on the strength, assets and community resources used to facilitate change and reduce the inequities and disparities that deeply impact communities and families of color from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
In addition to her work as Program Assistant, Jessica also supported The Center as Lead Program Coordinator for program campaigns and initiatives led by the Black Child Legacy Campaign (BCLC) and Build.Black. Coalition. Over the past five summers, BCLC and Build.Black. have worked in partnership with the Sacramento King NBA impact team to run a yearly summer sports program titled Kings and Queens Rise Queens Rise—a co-ed summer sports league (which has included basketball, golf and NBA 2K gaming) incorporated to support in the interruption
of community violence and provide young people in the communities served, the opportunity to have a healthy, active and resourceful summer. Jessica has served as Lead Program Coordinator for Kings and Queens Rise for 5 straight summers.
Jessica is currently completing her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of San Francisco. Jessica’s intentional concentration includes work with underrepresented communities, and a predominant focus on communities of color, providing mental health wellness, access and advocacy for communities where representation of Black clinicians is few and far between in the Northern California area. Jessica’s passion for work with young people and an attuned focus towards cultural factors that significantly impact an individual and community’s lived experience, led her back to Howard University, walking in the spirit of Sankofa “retrieving what is good from the past and bringing it into the present to ensure progress towards the future. Jessica is eager and excited to bring her experience, knowledge, and Howard alumna spirit and knowledge as the new Assistant Coach for Howard’s tennis team, with her “eyes on the prize” towards the MEAC Championship.
