Jennifer Slezak

Student

“SMC has so much to offer. I love everything about this college, even volleyball at the beach, though that’s the least of it.”

Like a bug on a hot rock, Jennifer Slezak has been ‘on the hop’ among colleges. “I’m transferring here from Napa Junior College to finish up what I need to go on to Cal State Northridge or Long Beach. But truthfully,” she adds, “I wish I had found my way here long ago. It felt like home to me as soon as I got here.” Even though she was scrambling to find a place to live in a new city, Jennifer had already made some qualitative judgments about SMC.

“I’m studying business and marketing and right away I noticed that teachers here provide you with all their lecture notes written out. And that really helps you to follow along and prepare for tests,” she says. “It makes comprehension of what you’re learning a lot easier. And the teachers I’ve had here are much more thorough than at other colleges I’ve been to.” In preparation for a career in international marketing and business, Jennifer plans to integrate some of what she’s learned at SMC with what she’ll need to learn to make a life in Hawaii.

“I studied oceanography here with Professor Robinson and I think his lectures were fascinating and skillful,” she says. “He really helped me understand the island situation of Hawaii. And next, to position myself in international business, I’m going to have to learn another language. Since most of the businesses in Hawaii are owned by Japanese,” she continues, “I suspect that language may be in my future. But wherever I end up, I’m going to remember the feeling I had at SMC. Even if it was only for a little while, it was definitely home to me.”

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