Hull graduate ready for life’s next chapter while cherishing AU experience

Jacqueline Prescott has plenty of reasons to celebrate as her final semester of college draws to an end.

Not only will the Waynesboro, Georgia, native graduate from Augusta University’s James M. Hull College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in financial services, but the week after Spring Commencement, she will get married to her high school sweetheart, Preston Price.

Prescott originally thought she would be getting engaged shortly after commencement but said her fiance surprised her with a proposal during her junior year. He told her she could take as long as she’d like to plan the wedding, but she knew he was the man she would marry.

“I looked at my calendar, and I said, ‘May 18 sounds like a really good day to get married.’”

While in high school, Prescott didn’t know where she wanted to attend college but knew she eventually wanted to live in Augusta. While close with her family, she wanted to spread her wings, and that’s when she decided to tour AU.

With a passion for numbers and an interest in finance, she liked the idea of a small college with big university opportunities when she learned more about AU and Hull. She embraced the idea of knowing and learning from her professors one-on-one.

“I toured one place, and there was no connection; I met professors during my tour here, and I was meeting the people who I see every day here now,” she said. “My grandfather was a farmer, but his passion was investments. He took what he earned off the farm and built wealth for his family. He would talk to his grandkids about it. When I grew up, I remembered it, so as a tribute to him, who did a lot for our family, I chose to study finance.”

A self-described extrovert, Prescott immersed herself in the college experience and the offerings within Hull. She began honing her networking skills while taking on various internships, which ranged from working in a legal office to being a realtor assistant to twice working at Augusta National Golf Club.

“Having professors who care and pay attention to you, I really appreciate all that they did to prepare me for the next steps because I fully feel like I’ve built a network here that will grow beyond these past four years.”

Jacqueline Prescott

During 2020, she was seeking an in-person class and signed up for a sales class with Stacy Roberts, DBA. Prescott remembered that class helped her build friendships while establishing a connection with Roberts, who became a mentor to her.

“Dr. Roberts is just a wealth of knowledge about AU, and, even though sales isn’t my thing, I just enjoyed learning from her,” Prescott said. “At the end of the class, she came up to me and a few other girls and mentioned the Women’s Leadership Program, which she’s in charge of and is also partnered with ADP. She told us that we should apply and then she emailed me again closer to the deadline. I applied, and that’s when I began to know her.”

Roberts recalled the first time she met Prescott she was impressed with how transparent and open she was. The small class enabled all of them to build more of a relationship with one another, but she walked away from that first class knowing Prescott was a dynamic, intelligent and compassionate young woman.

Roberts said all of that hard work will take her wherever she wants to go.

“One thing I like about Jacqueline – she’s a hard worker, diligent and her perseverance is just amazing. I know anything that she puts her mind to, and she’ll do it because I’ve seen her do it. I’ve seen her push through the hard times, and I’ve seen her carry others along with her, although she’s carrying a load herself. Where will she go? I don’t know what her career goal is, but whatever she decides she’s going to be successful at it.”

The idea of learning from successful women in the Augusta area appealed to Prescott, and, after going through Hull’s Women’s Leadership Academy as a student, she came back as mentor to pass along the knowledge she had learned the year before.

“My sister-in-law was going to an interview, and she called me [asking for advice]. I said I can’t believe you’re calling me because I’m younger than you, but she knew I had that knowledge from the Women’s Leadership Academy,” she said. “My senior year I just wanted a deeper knowledge of what we had already learned about, but I wanted to be a resource to them, but I also want to learn more from them.”

Prescott attended business events with Roberts, won a Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) competition with her partner Ajay Pandey and Roberts as their faculty coach, and studied abroad in London, where Prescott engaged herself in the “financial capital of the world” while also visiting Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London.

“She is such a unique relationship for me because she was one of the first professors that I connected with outside of the classroom,” Prescott said. “I don’t even have the words to describe how much she has meant to me throughout college, but she’s been the mentor I never knew I needed.

“She has taught me so much about the workplace because of her background in human resources. She’s who I go to for any workplace-related questions, but I can also look to her beyond the classroom for any motherly advice.”

Prescott said her parents were always “100% supportive” of everything she has done, but she has faced plenty of obstacles during her college years, none bigger than losing her grandmother in 2020 and her father in 2023.

After her first semester of college, she couldn’t visit her family because they had COVID-19 and then she had it, then her grandmother passed away the day after. After losing her father, everyone in Hull gave her the encouragement she needed to keep pushing on.

“I had been heavily involved in my first three years, but they all said, ‘you don’t need to be here at school so much, you can step back,’ and it was that encouragement I needed,” she said. “I think that if it wouldn’t have been for the professors who understood what I was going through, all of my professors were patient and understanding with me this year, but I’m still not over that obstacle.”

Prescott confided in Roberts, who said, “I thank God, and I’m honored that she trusted me with that information,” while also giving her sanctuary in her office whenever she needed a safe place to be. Roberts, in turn, is proud of her and is excited about her next life event.

“I love when our students walk across the stage, and I’m going to miss Jacqueline. I’m just so proud, knowing what she overcame. I can’t wait to see where she goes,” Roberts said.

Prescott said her fiance stepped up in ways she couldn’t imagine, saying he “pretty much carried my family through the beginning of June.”

“It was more than I ever imagined having to put on him, but he was there for everyone not just me, my mom, my sister, all of us. He was our person to lean on,” Prescott said. “I know that my dad gave him the blessing to marry me because he knew that Preston would be able to do that for us. It made me realize that we were ready to be married.”

Prescott is grateful for her four years at AU and the Hull College of Business, from the scholarships she received to the countless opportunities to be engaged she amassed. 

“Having professors who care and pay attention to you, I really appreciate all that they did to prepare me for the next steps because I fully feel like I’ve built a network here that will grow beyond these past four years,” Prescott said. “I’ve learned so much personally, but also professionally that I can share with others now. People don’t realize how much the Hull College of Business pours into their students, especially if you’re an active student. If you’re signing up for all that they have to offer, you’re going to gain more than you ever expected in college. I’m just grateful for all of those things.”