Courtney Kueppers: What first led you to Eau Claire?

Jasmine Case: I came here for my masters. I got my undergrad at Edgewood College in Madison. I moved up here and I had a big chip on my shoulder. I was like what I’m going to move to Eau Claire from Madison? I’m going to hate this -— I’m going to go back to Madison every single weekend and hangout with my friends. I told myself I would be in and out in two years and that’s that. That was in 2003. I’ve been here for ten years I fell in love with it: with the university and the city.  I’ve been teaching through the English department
ever since.

CK: What’s your favorite part about
Eau Claire?

JC: I love how student focused this university is. I love how friendly, warm and inviting it is. I love the community. I love Phoenix Park on Thursday nights in the summer with all different kinds of people listening to great music. I love the river, the trails: I just love the nature.

CK: What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened in one of your classes?

JC: It’s been probably five years or so ago: it was the day that everyone was turning in their final projects and I brought a big box to class that day because these projects get kind of big.

When I got to my desk at the front of the class there was a bottle of wine on the desk. One of my students raised his hand and said, “I had my mom buy this for you and I just ask that you drink this before you grade my project.” Everyone was totally                  cracking up.

CK: What do you like about teaching in the
English department?

JC: It’s a really great community. The professors are all there to help each other out and as a teacher it’s great to see students grow as writers. Freshmen comp isn’t typically a class everybody is just dying to take so it’s great seeing students get interested. I teach a lot of freshmen so watching them grow from new freshmen to becoming more comfortable at the university is so fun to see.

CK: If you weren’t a professor what would
you be?

JC: Oh gosh — I would love to be a cook. I love reading food writing, I love going to good restaurants. I love food and I love cooking. I just don’t know if my nerves could handle it. I know kitchen life is so high stress. So I think in my next life I’ll be a cook but in this one I’ll be a teacher.

CK: What’s your favorite Eau Claire
restaurant?

JC: There are some good ones but nothing beats a Court ‘n House burger on a Thursday night, 2 for 1 can’t go wrong.