Exercising Her Gift of Writing: DBU Alumna Jessica Grissom

One of Dallas Baptist University's core goals is to equip students with the tools and skills they need to succeed in their field. The life of alumna Jessica Grissom ('12), published author, is a testimony of this mission. While Jessica did not attend DBU for her undergraduate degree, God divinely placed individuals in her life who guided her to DBU for her master's degree in business administration. She used her time at DBU to its full potential, learning life and academic skills that benefitted her throughout her career.

Jessica grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with her parents and eight siblings, all of whom attended Hillcrest Baptist Church in Cedar Hill. At a young age, she prayed the sinner's prayer and accepted Christ as her Savior because of everything she learned in church. Her parents instilled in her a love of reading bedtime stories each evening, so when she had a Gospel conversation with her neighbors at age eleven, she was inspired to begin a journey of reading the entire Bible. Jessica wanted to discover Christ independently, delving into what He was like outside the Sunday School stories she had learned. "After I finished my journey of discovery," she recalled, "I rededicated my life to Christ, knowing this time more of what it meant to follow Him." 

An avid reader from a young age, Jessica fondly remembers reading Little Women and how she fell in love with the coming-of-age tale of the March sisters. The pages of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel fanned into flame a God-given desire within Jessica to pursue becoming a writer. "When I finished the book and the movie, I felt inspired to become a writer like Jo March. As a teenager, I dabbled in writing, but my perfectionistic tendencies overshadowed the completion of most of my projects." Upon graduation from high school, Jessica pursued a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Southwestern Assemblies of God University. During this time, she met her husband, James, who attended DBU in the late 1990s.

When Jessica graduated from SAGU, she worked at a local Christian bookstore. While there, she met many customers from DBU, including Sheila Cook, the late wife of Dr. Gary Cook, DBU Chancellor. After interacting with these individuals from DBU, that flame within her was fanned once again as she began to feel called to continue her academic career at the master's level. Shortly after that, Jessica began her pursuit of an M.B.A. through DBU's acclaimed Graduate School of Business. She continued working full-time while attending graduate school — something that, along with the busyness of the general day-to-day, could easily cause feelings of anxiety and apprehension. What she experienced in her studies at DBU, however, was quite different.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed, she felt equipped and encouraged by her professors. Her favorite professor, Dr. Ozzie Ingram, especially inspired her because of his genuine heart for students and a passion for mentoring and equipping DBU Patriots to change the world. "The professors integrated real experiences with academic learning. There was a strong sense of Christian values and ethics as they taught about having and maintaining integrity." Jessica graduated from DBU in 2012, returning to SAGU soon after to accept a job position there.

A few years ago, Jessica and her husband experienced the tragedy of losing their first child through miscarriage. While experiencing this unmentionable grief, she was drawn back to writing, using her skills as a writer to process her emotions and heal. "Honestly, it took living life a bit more to find my voice," Jessica reflected. "Now, I want to use it to help others." It was through this new-found inspiration, along with what would soon be a wink from God, that Jessica continued writing. One year after experiencing such sorrow and loss, God blessed the Grissom's with a son.

In 2021, Jessica began writing in a freelance capacity, using her business degree from DBU to write with a business-centered approach. "If I send my writing off to various publications, then I'm going to treat it like a marketing experiment and expect a 2% return on my investment of time." What started as an experiment grew into a string of successes, ultimately opening the door for Jessica's work to be published over 20 times in various notable publications.

When reflecting on submitting works to be published, Jessica said, "It's been a rewarding process. When I receive rejection notices, I can accept the feedback constructively and re-work the project." She credits her adaptability to her experience at DBU during her graduate studies. "I think the business skills gave me the sense of resiliency I needed to pursue a highly competitive field." Jessica specializes in short stories and flash fiction, dabbling in the occasional poem here and there.

Believing that it could help others, she wrote a memoir about her miscarriage titled "Strategies for Living with Grief." Jessica is particularly proud of her short story "Lady Nilar's Wings." This story was selected from over 700 submissions to be included in the most recent issue of Tales from Fiddler's Green. Jessica also has ten short stories published on Reedsy under her pseudonym, Noel Thomas. Jessica hosts a podcast, The More You Know: Honest Discussions & Practical Tips, where the editor of The Valliant Scribe recently joined her to discuss writing tips and tricks. 

A few of her pieces are available to read online:

• "Muneca," a poem published in Digging Press.
• "The Funambulist," a short story published by Paper Dragons at Drexel University
• "Rock Bottom," a flash fiction piece published by Bright Flash Literary
• "Crystal Teardrops," a short story published by The San Antonio Review

Jessica, her husband, and their five-year-old son attend First Red Oak, where she serves in the nursery. She also volunteers at Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Waxahachie, mentors a high school student through Mentor's Care, tutors a homeschooled student in English, and teaches a crochet class at Red Oak Public Library.

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