Jessica Campbell, English as a Second Language

Education: B.A. in International Relations from UC Davis and units towards M.A. in TESL from San Diego State University.

Experience: Three years of full-time and part-time teaching experience at San Diego State University, International House, San Diego, Calif, and YBM Sisa-yong-o-sa Language Institute in Seoul, South Korea.

Most interesting thing about you that students wouldn’t suspect: I’m the heiress to the Campbell Soup Company. [Joke.]

Impression of SRJC/Santa Rosa: “Well, to be honest, my first impressions of SRJC and Santa Rosa have brought me quite a bit of pain. The number of times I have to pinch myself on a daily basis to make sure that I’m not dreaming up this incredible campus and community has really taken a toll on my physical well-being. But in all seriousness, I honestly could not have invented a better school and community, and I feel unbelievably fortunate to be a part of it all. The faculty, staff, administration, students, campus, community, and atmosphere can all be summed in one word…WOW.”

If you weren’t teaching at SRJC: “I’d be on [a journalist] assignment or vagabonding … or perhaps in the jungles of Borneo as a primate biologist if my seven-year-old self had gotten the final say in my career.”

Advice for students: “For important life questions such as this, I usually defer to the experts… let’s hear what Dr. Ruth has to say: ‘My favorite animal is the turtle. The reason is that in order for the turtle to move, it has to stick its neck out. There are going to be times in your life when you’re going to have to stick your neck out. There will be challenges and instead of hiding in a shell, you have to go out and meet them!’ So go forth and be turtles!”