MJC Reveals Life's Options
I was almost the first person in my family to go to college, but my mom beat me to the punch. She started taking classes at MJC when I was 12 and she was 37. She went on to transfer to CSUS and earned her BA in psychology, and spent most of her professional life as a drug and alcohol counselor for Stanislaus County. She was a typical returning female student: utterly focused and enthusiastic, never taking her education for granted. Her favorite teachers were “the Henrys” (Henry Hahn and Henry Osner), and I remember she had a wild crush on Richard Sweeney. I have fond memories of attending classes with her at MJC a few times after I wondered out loud what college was like. My mom didn’t mess around. “Come on, I’ll show you!”
Interestingly, my father resented my mom’s quest for an education, although he paid her tuition and worked hard to keep this resentment in check. He was older than her by 16 years, and when they met she was a young, struggling widow with two toddler sons. He rescued her, in a way, and was very scared of both her burgeoning intellectual independence, and her increased ability to take care of herself financially. And, yeah, she eventually divorced him and never remarried (she’s 72 now). My mom definitely taught me that education gives you options in life.
And yet, still, I almost blew it.
I dropped out of high school in my senior year. I didn’t fit in socially, and I was smoking copious amounts of marijuana which totally zapped my motivation. After leaving school I worked a series of low-paying jobs, ratcheted the drug use up a notch, and entered into an abusive relationship. Obviously, my self-esteem plummeted. I knew I was screwing up. My poor parents were bewildered. Although neither of my brothers had finished high school, I was supposed to be the smart one, and here I was making all the worst choices. I knew that I needed to take control of my life, that I wanted more options. And I also knew from watching my mom that education was the key to making those options available.
When I told my parents I wanted to give college a try, they were 100% there for me both in terms of emotional championing and financial support. I’m so profoundly grateful to them both for their unwavering confidence in me. So many of my friends had parents who “washed their hands” of them, but my parents never gave up on me even after I gave them every reason to do so. I also owe a lot to Jim Johnson and Allan McKissick, two of my first teachers at MJC. They recognized something in me that I had long ceased to see. They helped me see myself as smart and strong and powerful. They seemed to genuinely enjoy having me as a student, and that did so much in terms of making me feel like I belonged at MJC. Their classrooms were places where I felt competent and valued and appreciated, and that literally changed the trajectory of my life. If you value yourself you don’t do dangerous drugs, you don’t stay in abusive relationships, you dare to aim high. I’m a teacher now because teachers literally changed my life. MJC teachers. I’m essentially here now to help change lives, to make sure my students feel competent, valued, and appreciated.
Aside from being the Coordinator for Library Instruction at MJC, I’m also very involved in the local arts community. All of those Readers’ Theater and Storytelling classes I took from Jim Johnson must have made an impression. In 2001 I helped found Modesto’s Prospect Theater Project, where I serve on its Board, act as its Managing Director, and occasionally step out onto its stage. Thank you MJC, for being such a huge, profound part of my life for almost 35 years!
- Kathleen Ellis, MJC Professor