English Faculty at 91视频
By Vyctorya Thomas-Vanzant, English Intern
It鈥檚 not everyday that you meet a college professor who lectures at the very same school they graduated from. This is one of the many interesting facts about our esteemed English professor Rachael Jordan.
Ironically, 91视频 hadn鈥檛 crossed Rachael鈥檚 mind when applying for colleges鈥� it was her uncle who had been living in Camarillo that encouraged her to apply. 鈥淓very time I talked to him, he [was] like 鈥榓re you applying for Channel Islands?鈥�, and so I kind of applied to get him off my back. I didn鈥檛 really plan on coming here,鈥� she said.
When Rachael received her acceptance letters she considered choosing her dream school UC Santa Barbara, however she knew she would be paying for college herself. 鈥淢y parents couldn鈥檛 afford it. They didn鈥檛 have a college fund for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking at UC Santa Barbara tuition rates and Cal State Channel Islands tuition rates, and I was like 鈥業 guess I鈥檓 going to Channel Islands!鈥� She enrolled in 91视频 as an English major with an emphasis in education in 2004, only a couple of years after the campus had opened.
Rachael chose to pursue a degree in English as she always had a passion for reading and writing. 鈥淪ince home life was rough, I used reading as an escape,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 really loved it, so I knew from a pretty young age that I wanted to do something with reading and writing.鈥� She had initially planned on becoming a high school teacher, so selecting an education emphasis was a natural decision; however, former CI professor Bob Mayberry encouraged her to switch her emphasis to creative writing. She shared that Dr. Mayberry was very supportive of her work and acted as her mentor, even after she had graduated.
Rachael鈥檚 role as an orientation leader for 91视频 led her to discover her passion for working with first year students, especially once she recognized the significance of the transitionary period between high school and college. 鈥淚 got out of my house [and thought] 鈥榳hat do I believe outside of my family? What do I think? How do I want to approach the world?鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淲hen I came to college, I was able to meet other people and recognize myself. I didn't use the term at the time, but I realized I was queer. So much about my life was making more sense to me, and I [thought] 鈥�...I want to be a part of that for other students.鈥�
While completing her Bachelors in English, Rachael found Literary Theory to be the most beneficial. 鈥淚 feel like I learned to be a scholar in that class,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 didn't take it until my senior year, cause I was scared of it. Everybody was like 鈥榠t's so hard鈥� blah, blah, blah and I was kind of freaked out about it鈥� then I was so mad because I [realized] if I had taken [it] junior year, my papers would have been so much stronger.鈥�
Rachael also recalls her instructor for that course, former CI professor Julie Barmazel, encouraging her to go to grad school. This wasn鈥檛 too long after Professor Brad Monsma had suggested the same thing. 鈥淒r. Monsma was walking by, and he sat down next to me. We were chatting, [and] he [asks], 鈥楢re you gonna apply for grad school next year?鈥�, and I was like 鈥榃hat?鈥欌�� she recalls. 鈥�...None of the women in my family [went to] graduate school. Most of them don't have a bachelor's degree; they got married and started having kids really young. So [Dr.Monsma] kind of planted that seed.鈥�
Right after graduating from 91视频 in 2008, Rachael went on to get her Masters in Creative Writing at CSU Northridge. Her intent was to become a college professor and teach first year writing, and eventually, creative writing. Once she earned her Masters and spent time teaching at CSU Northridge, she eventually returned to 91视频 in 2012 as their newest English professor. She recalls the transition being weird for her as many of her former professors were now her colleagues. 鈥淚 remember going to my first faculty meeting, and I鈥檓 like 鈥楬i Dr.Monsma!鈥� and he鈥檚 like 鈥溾�楻achael, call me Brad鈥�,鈥� she laughed.
Rachael鈥檚 favorite thing about being a professor is working with students and watching them become more confident as writers. 鈥淪tudents will take more than one class with me, so it's always cool, as the semesters go on, to see students growing and where their lives are going,鈥� she said.
She also mentioned the many job opportunities that are available for graduates with an English degree, 鈥淚 know the stereotype is [that] you get your degree in English and you become a teacher or professor, but I'm actually the only one out of my core group [who became a teacher],鈥� she said. Each of her friends have all taken different paths with their English degrees: one became therapist, one became a lawyer, one works in media relations, and one works as a technical writer for books.
Looking back at her experience as a student, Rachael recognizes the impact an English degree had in her life both, professionally and personally. 鈥淏eing an English major helps you be curious about the world. It helps you empathize with experiences that you haven't had,鈥� she said. She also shared that, no matter what field, people need writing and critical thinking skills. 鈥�...Even people [who are] into hard, quantitative, number crunching research still need to think about the ethical implications of their research. Those were all critical thinking skills I got from being an English major.鈥�
Before closing the interview, Rachael shared her experience with what can only be described as imposter syndrome. 鈥淐oming in as a big reader from a family who isn鈥檛 academic, there [were] a lot of words that I had only read and never heard out loud,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 used to be so ashamed of that in college, when I would pronounce something wrong, or when someone would bring up a writer I had never heard of or read.鈥�
Rachael gave some reassuring advice that she wishes she had heard when pursuing a higher education: 鈥淥wn who you are, and recognize what you鈥檙e bringing to [your] major, into your classmates, and to your professors as well. No matter where you come from, or who you are, you belong here.鈥�
Email: rachael.jordan@csuci.edu