Jessica (Smith) Link: 10 Year Update

I attended UT Knoxville from 2001 to 2004 where I earned a Bachelors Degree in Urban Studies. After graduating, I was hired as a bill clerk for the Tennessee State Senate during the 2005 session. After session ended, I worked as assistant to Attorney General Phil Summers’ office. During this time, I decided to pursue a career in the private sector and was hired as a Planner for an engineering and planning consulting firm specializing in transportation. While working full time, I went back to school and graduated from Tennessee State University with a Masters in Public Administration. I had worked at Wilbur Smith Associates (Franklin, TN) for 5 years in April until I had to take a medical leave of absence to care for my son Thatcher.

Soon after I began working for WSA, I married BJ Link (class of 1999) in 2006, and we bought a home in Madison, TN. We have 2 children, Amelia (2) and Thatcher (1). A couple of months after Thatcher was born, he was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare liver disease, and needed a liver transplant. Long story short, I donated a portion of my liver to him on March 22, 2011 – he at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital and me at the nearby adult hospital. He is doing remarkably well and we are finally back home, reunited with my husband and daughter after staying in PA for 2 months. I’m home with the kids now and very grateful the Lord has blessed our family with a new lease on life.