Leaning In
"I love when people pursue what they want to do, and they don't let the stigmas of society stop them from doing it. Too often I hear people say, I'm too old to go back to school, and I'm like, No, never." – Jessicalee Heredia, 27, Student Senate president
Judging by all the activities Jessicalee Heredia lists under her email signature, it’s hard to imagine she has much time to spare for her coursework. The 27-year-old business administration major from Springfield is president of the Student Senate, vice president of the Black Student Alliance, and a member of the National Student Leadership Society, El Centro, and the All Out Club. On campus, she has a work-study job in the ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË Bookstore and also works off campus as a personal care attendant. "When people look at me, they might wonder, how do you do it all?" she says. "Well, I'm just like anyone. I have my days. I struggle. I lean on my team, and that's how I am able to be as successful as I am."
Why did you choose ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË Community College?
For the reasons most ¿ì²¥³ÉÈËs do, like cost. I always saw myself going to a major university, because that's what everybody says you’ve got to do, or should do. But being an adult learner, I didn't care for the dorm and party experience that I think most ¿ì²¥³ÉÈËs crave at a younger age. I really wanted to get my education in a place where I knew I would be accepted and feel like I belong, and then I would get a quality education.
I looked around at some state colleges, and I looked at some community colleges. I really just liked the culture of ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË. From the minute of my first appointment as a new ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË in Admissions, I knew ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË was the place for me, just the way my advisor was so attentive and attuned to my needs. That made me realize I would get that support going forward. That sealed my decision.
Was it hard starting college at age 25?
It was nerve wracking, being an adult learner. I definitely had a little imposter syndrome. I thought, Oh, my God, I'm gonna be the oldest person here. Then I got here, and there's so much diversity. I don't know what I was worried about. I love when people pursue what they want to do, and they don't let like the stigmas of society stop them from doing it. Too often I hear people say, I'm too old to go back to school, and I'm like, No, never.
Did you have any idea what you wanted to study starting out?
I had come in thinking of working in human services or running my own business in the human services field by creating a welcoming, safe space with quality workers that people can trust and know that they'll get the best service possible. That led me to business administration. After I graduate from ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË and transfer, my plan is to study business and add a minor in social work of human services.
You’re involved in a lot of programs and activities. How do you manage everything?
El Centro was one of the first things I enrolled in here at ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË. At orientation, they ask you what you are interested in and I put down “El Centro.” They reached out to me and hooked me up with an advisor. My first work-study job on campus was with them. They're definitely my family away from home here on campus. Whenever things are rough, or I just need a minute to reground myself, I stop in over there and see my people. They really have an understanding of who I am as a person and as a ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË and work with me very closely. I encourage every ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË to stop in El Centro.
Why did you want to be president of Student Senate?
I initially wanted nothing to do with Student Senate. I told myself I was going to be a typical ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË. I was just going to come in, do my schoolwork, study, maybe be a part of some support programs or tutoring, just for help, because learning for me sometimes can be a little hard, and that would be it.
And then I met Barney Garcia ’24 (former ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË-trustee) and Alicia Beaton '25, who was Student Senate president, and they just kept talking to me about it. And I was like, fine, I'll join as a senator, but then they wanted me to go for leadership. And I was like, I'm not doing that. But they kept talking to me about leadership. It's not that I didn't know I could do it or that I didn't like it. It's just that I was a returning adult learner. It was an adjustment that I was going through. I was also a parent and fiancé, and I work part time as a personal care attendant, and I had my work-study job. It would be a major time commitment, but they were graduating and they really wanted to find successors who would carry on their same core values within Student Senate as a safe space that provides a sense of belonging and advocacy.
What changed you mind?
Talking to my mom. I kept making excuses. I was like, Oh, I can't because of this, or I can't because of that. And my mom kind of called me out on it. We had a really long conversation about my feeling like an imposter, coming back to school and feeling out of place, and being frustrated with myself, because in high school, middle school, and elementary I always had really high grades. And then when I came back, I didn't place high enough in my placement testing, and I was struggling with some of the coursework, and I was just really doubting my skills. And then I decided to stop living in fear and just do it. If it didn’t work out for me, then at least I can say I tried. At least I won't regret not taking the chance.
What are your priorities as Student Senate president?
My goal is for the ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË body to know that we're here for them, that we're here on their behalf, and to bridge the gaps between our many campus life communities. We have so many different clubs, so many different identity groups on campus. Sometimes I think that we can often be in silos. I want to promote more intersectionality between campus clubs and groups, so we've been doing some work on having liaisons and collaborations and different events on campus. We're going to be hosting a Kindness Week. We want ¿ì²¥³ÉÈËs to know we’re listening to them, that we’ll fight their fights and make sure they get their needs met. In the process, we hope to have a lot of fun.
What classes are you taking this semester?
Computer applications, which is a mandatory class for my major. I'm also taking intro to forensics for my lab science. It's super fun. I'm taking some developmental math, level 13 and 14 so that next semester I can finally take my college level math.
Have you had any teachers or mentors who have been particularly important to you?
Dr. Marlowe Washington (vice president of People, Culture, and Equity), our Student Senate advisor. He has a skill set that is very valuable, and he has been kind enough to offer to mentor me throughout my journey of rebranding and rebuilding our ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË government association. And, this semester, President Timmons and I started meeting one on one. He offers words of wisdom and advice. I check in with him to go over my goals for Senate and make sure I'm on track.
For professors, Kelly O'Connor. I've had her for intro to business, business law, and human resource management. She's made me feel that, as an adult learner, I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. Whether she's on campus or off campus, I know that she's a presence I can go to and consult with and confide in. She's helped me navigate some hurdles here at ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË. She helped me get some accommodations from OSDDS (Office of Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services).
Besides El Centro and OSDDS, have you used any other ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË support services?
I've used Thrive (Center and Food Pantry). In my first year here I was facing not only food insecurity, but a situation with homelessness. It was a very tough time, but with Thrive and El Centro support, I got over those hurdles. Those are no longer struggles of mine today, which I thank God for and I'm grateful for, but I know my fellow ¿ì²¥³ÉÈËs also deal with that. I think that sometimes you can feel alone or feel like you're by yourself. Without my resources and my team, I would not be where I'm at today.
As Student Senate president I've done my best to be educated on all the other resources on campus, because, even if I don't use them, I can at least share that with my peers and make sure that my fellow ¿ì²¥³ÉÈËs know about them.
Do you know what you’d like to do after ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË?
I've estimated that I’ve got about another year after his semester, but I do plan to transfer. Where I don't know yet. I want to study business administration and add a minor either in social work, human services or public policy. Either of those minors will fit with my business idea.
Tell us more about your nonprofit plan.
It would be a nonprofit organization that specializes in mental health and LGBTQ services, but also works with ¿ì²¥³ÉÈËs of all ages. I want it to be a multi-faceted organization. The first level of the building would be a community center of sorts, where ¿ì²¥³ÉÈËs of all ages can come in, get help with their homework, have a meal if they're struggling, and we'll connect them with the resources they need. If they have unsafe home environments, they can come hang there with our staff, and have it be a home away from home.
The second floor will be an outpatient services clinic for therapeutic services. I want the third floor to be a contracting business where we train staff from other organizations about mental health, substance use, and LGBTQ issues.
You have clearly thought a lot about this.
I already have my proposal. Throughout my time as a ¿ì²¥³ÉÈË, I have been constantly tweaking it, adding to it, cleaning it up. I already have ideas for funding and different methods to get it started and off the ground.
Have your professors helped you with your proposal?
Kelly O'Connor. I remember sitting in Kelly's intro to business class and her saying, I used to be a lawyer, and I'm not anymore. I loved it for a long period of my life, and now I would never go back. She said, my passion is educating. My passion is teaching. This is what makes me fulfilled. Do what fulfills you. Do what you're passionate about. You're gonna have to do it every day. That's true. And it just sunk in. So I picked something that was close to home that I was passionate about, and I put it into a proposal.
Why is it so important to you?
Mental health should not be a stigma. It’s real. As ¿ì²¥³ÉÈËs, we deal with a lot of mental health issues. I think that oftentimes we don't want to talk about them or address them.
Some people very close to me came from broken homes where there was a lot of drug use. They didn't have safe spaces. They didn't have food. They struggled with homelessness. None of them graduated from college. I can't help but think about the people who don't have the opportunity to get the help they need and get out of those situations. I'm passionate because of how close to home it hits. And I just felt like I could do this on a greater scale and change more kids’ lives. Maybe we'll get them off the street and more into the books. That's my hope.
PHOTO: Jessicalee Heredia
