Family & Background
Jeanny’s parents were born and raised in El Salvador, a small but mighty country in Central America. Her parents had to flee their country during the civil war, as they were mistaken for being a part of the guerilla warfare. They were persecuted and knew that they had to leave if they wanted to survive. Prior to arriving in the U.S, Jeanny’s father was in a seminary, studying and preparing to become a Catholic priest. Her mother was studying to be a nurse and worked at orphanages taking care of children. They emigrated to the United States between the ages of fifteen and seventeen, where they pursued different careers. Her father won a scholarship to study philosophy and theology at UC Berkeley and her mother found her way to working for a lawyer in the Los Angeles area.
Jeanny has an older brother named Sonny, who is Jeanny’s inspiration. He graduated from UCLA with a double major in English literature and American History; he is a published poet and a fiction writer. Her family means everything to her. At a very young age Jeanny’s parents instilled the importance of reading books and striving for a higher education. They have always supported her dreams and challenged her to be the best version of herself. Jeanny grew up in a strongly religious home, with good values, and always on a path toward Christ.
Early Education
Jeanny, a Latina born, was born and raised in the Greater Los Angeles area where she attended the public-school education system for a major part of her life. During her eighth-grade year, she was nominated to form a part of the Fulfillment Fund Program that focused on making college a reality for students growing up in educationally and economically under-resourced communities.
Jeanny remembers being in fifth grade and making herself a promise that she would attend the college of her dreams and go on to receive the highest level of education in her field. That was difficult because she knew that she had to work harder than her peers to fully fund her education.
Fulfillment Fund paired Jeanny with an incredible mentor named Alexis Addrisi who guided her throughout her education at Los Angeles Senior High School. Alexis opened doors to see a world beyond the Los Angeles area and helped Jeanny to believe in herself beyond her perceived limitations.
Once she was ready to decide between the colleges that had accepted her, it came down to two schools: UCLA and Boston College. She had envisioned attending a medium-sized liberal arts institution ever since she got to tour the east coast prior to her college applications, but Boston College was extremely expensive in comparison to a public university. Her mentor, along with the Fulfillment Fund foundation and her college counselors, helped her through the Bill Gates scholarship application. It was an arduous process, but she was successfully awarded a fully funded education as a Gates Millennium Scholar to attend the school of her dreams.
College Years
At Boston College, she studied Spanish Literature, French Literature, and Psychology. She worked at the college counseling office as a peer counselor where she helped students through the college process. Jeanny served her time at a non-profit organization called Sociedad Latina, where she mentored middle school students, tutored high school students, and served as a college counselor during their application process. The skills that she acquired in college prepared her for the graduate school journey.
Jeanny’s undergraduate experience at Boston College was life-changing. It was important to her that her university had a strong religious background, and Boston College as a Jesuit community was centered around the belief, “men and women for others.” Therefore, service was instrumental to her formation as a person of faith following Christ. She served her community by tutoring, feeding the less fortunate, and partaking in several services and immersion trips in the Dominican Republic and in Haiti. Her service trips allowed her to gain a better appreciation for everything that she had and for the gifts that the Lord provided to her; however, it also opened her eyes to a greater world where she can use her gifts and be of service to others. She taught students of all ages, K-12, as well as aided children in several orphanages. These are experiences that she holds near and dear to her heart.
Post-College Pursuits
Before starting her doctoral program at the University of California, Irvine, Jeanny took a gap year where she worked as a college counselor for the Pasadena School District. She served in two schools, Marshall Fundamental High School, and Pasadena High School. In addition, she worked at Pasadena Community College as a counselor. These experiences shaped her decision to continue her education at the doctoral level.
She studied Spanish language, literature, and culture with an emphasis on Latin American Studies and Women and Gender Studies. At UC Irvine, she taught several courses ranging from Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, and English Composition to Greek Mythology. She had the privilege of teaching at Middlebury College’s summer immersion language program which strengthened her pedagogy by using research-supported activities to ensure students’ language learning success rate. Lastly, she has successfully completed her Ph.D. at UC Irvine. Jeanny has brought her personal and professional experiences to Pacifica Christian High School where she teaches advanced Spanish language and literature courses.
Choosing Pacifica
Jeanny taught at the college level for seven years and as she made the decision to transition to teaching high school, she was in search of a community that had good values, strong faith, and a focus on a liberal arts education. After graduating from Boston College, she felt a void and was missing a space where she could practice her faith alongside her education. After reading Pacifica’s mission, she knew that it would be the place for her to bridge that gap and be able to practice her faith through her pedagogy. In addition, the faculty and staff have been supportive during her transition and have celebrated her successes.
According to Jeanny, Pacifica is a community that focuses on developing each student as a whole and places them on a path toward Christ. It is not just about academics, but about providing students with the necessary tools to succeed in life as good citizens of the world. It resembles her beloved Boston College, the place that allowed her to grow into the woman that she is today. These institutions are necessary to continue to instill strong Christian values to young men and women who are the future of our societies.
Looking Ahead
Currently, Jeanny is focused on strength training. She thinks it is important to strive for good mental and physical health. Therefore, exercising is one of her biggest priorities, it has become a lifestyle. She also loves finding used bookstores or fun independent bookstores where she can get lost in a book while she drinks an espresso and shares it with her beloved partner, Michael.
Her goal this year is to strengthen her faith by making time to read the bible, go to church, pray, and ensure that she is making the best decisions possible that lead her always to Christ. She also makes time to share and create new memories with her parents, the older they get the more she cherishes these moments together. Lastly, she is interested in becoming a better teacher, therefore, she attends seminars and reads peer-reviewed articles to strengthen her pedagogy. Jeanny’s interests are all centered on becoming the best version of herself possible not just for herself but for others. She always asks herself how she can be the best person for others.
Original source can be found here.
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