Spring — 2012

Camelle Johnson

Sociology/AS

“When I first started at SMC, I was a Theatre Arts major. Then I took one political science class, and it changed everything. It was a real ‘light bulb’ moment!”

“One of my favorite teachers is Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein. He’s an awesome teacher.” says Camelle Johnson, well into her second year at SMC. “Sometimes teachers seem to have a particular bias in what they teach. But with Richard, he asked us what we wanted to learn and why. He took our views into consideration, and never ignored our opinions. And that’s what made his classes work so well for me.”

Camelle was just getting her feet wet in the frantic action of the AS, volunteering her time, and planning to run for a Commissioner’s position. “Being involved at the College can’t do anything but help you,” she says. “And I’ve also made really good use of the counseling here—including the stuff that we learn through the Financial Aid office.” But it’s a profession in sociology that is calling to Camelle these days, “Because I simply enjoy helping people,” she says. “And I don’t know where it will lead me,” she adds. “Maybe into the study of law or some other field. But one thing’s for sure: I want to transfer to NYU, because I’ve always lived in LA, and I just want something waaay different. I’ve heard awesome things about that university, and because of SMC’s transfer rate, I’m pretty confident that I’ll make it over there.”

Camelle reports, “I really love that we have such beautiful campuses, this amazing variety of programs, and so many gifted professors here at SMC. Your chances to really explore here are just endless. Just look what happened to me!” she says with a large laugh. “I just think that SMC is a very friendly place where you interact with all kinds of great people. But you’re also expected to perform well here, and to value, value, value the great education you’re getting.”

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