Jackie Lee

Professor

“Working in EOPS was a perfect match. I can totally relate to my first-generation college students because… that’s me!”

“I was talking with Dan Nannini at a conference, and he was bragging about how wonderful SMC is and how they have the number one transfer rate,” recalls Jackie Lee of her chance intro to the College. “So I started thinking about SMC. Wow! Was I surprised when I got ‘The Call!’ And being in EOPS is such an added bonus, because I was born in the Philippines myself, so I know what a lot of immigrant students in this program are going through.”

Jackie sees herself as a sort of ‘gatekeeper’ ushering people through the door to a better life. “I see myself in a lot of my students and I know how they have problems assimilating and adjusting to college,” she says. “Hey, I was on academic probation myself in the first year! I just didn’t know anything about how to use the system and all the services. I had no one to guide me,” she recalls. “So I’m now in an ideal place to make sure my students don’t have to go through what I did.”

Talking about her new SoCal life, Jackie has only one complaint… and it’s an odd one. “It’s the weather!” she says with a laugh. “I basically grew up in Hawaii, so I’ve had to adjust. But in a lot of ways, SMC reminds me of home. The diversity here is incredible, with students coming here from all over the world. And I want them all to know that EOPS is there for them; with counseling, book purchases, or just some simple friendship.” Okay, Jackie. Now if we can just do something about this terrible weather….

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