Jennie Quan

SMC Staff

“I enjoy the cultural diversity we have on the West Coast, which is reflected at SMC.”

When Jennie Quan came to the United States from Shanghai, she spoke hardly any English and knew very little about American culture. “Everything was totally new to me,” Jennie says. “But now I consider it beneficial that I could learn both cultures. I could maintain my own while learning a new one.”

Her experiences during those early years of adjustment are what she draws upon when counseling SMC’s international students. “I understand that they especially need help because they feel a cultural gap,” observes Jennie.

Equipped with degrees in Asian history and psychology, Jennie works as a full-time history teacher at Santa Monica High School in addition to her part-time counseling position at SMC. She feels that history and psychology have prepared her well for both jobs. “Those two fields are really linked,” she explains. “When you want to know the make-up of people, you have to learn about their history and their roots.”

At SMC, Jennie helps students with their academic planning, but her duties far exceed that mission. “I think couseling is so satisfying because I’m helping students with their whole career, their future, their life.” Jennie advises students to be in touch with their own interests and not pursue a degree to please parents or to simply make a lot of money. “I tell them: if you’re not sure what to study, just wait and explore. Test the waters.”

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