Transcript- Episode 2: We All Belong Here with Giselle Miralles Writing Success Center Faculty

00:00:00 Giselle

But there are also times when I wonder like can I actually do this job? I struggle a lot with imposter syndrome and I feel like that's one place I can really relate with some of my students, is that sometimes, it's really hard to feel like you belong, but you just have to keep reminding yourself that you're here. You've made it here, you do belong here.

                

00:00:19 Veronica

You know, when it comes to a community college as students, we're the reason why everyone else is here. I think a lot of times when people think of students, they're thinking about us growing and learning, but the one thing that I realized talking to my professors is that they are constantly also growing and learning as well, whether they want to admit it or not.

                

00:00:39 Veronica

I'm your host, Veronica Daniel, and I'm a journalism and communication student here on campus.

                

00:00:45 Liesel

I'm Dr. Liesel Reinhart. I teach mass communication and TVR courses here at PCC, and I am thrilled to co-host with my amazing, former student, Veronica.

                

00:00:55 Veronica

On this show, Liesel and I are going to talk with some remarkable individuals from our PCC campus community. These are people you may know, but stories you probably don't.

                

00:01:04 Liesel

It can be tough, but we don't have to do it alone.

                

00:01:06 Veronica

Exactly, because in higher education, we are all under development. A podcast from the Office of Professional and Organizational Development at Pasadena City College, and funded by a PCC Foundation Community Excellence Grant.

                

00:01:21 Veronica

Hi Liesel?

                

00:01:24 Liesel

Well, hello, Veronica. How's it going today?

                

00:01:26 Veronica

I'm doing good. I have a question for you. Can you tell me about a time in your life where you experienced failure?

                

00:01:35 Liesel

Do you mean this week or ...?

                

00:01:40 Veronica

Anytime.

                

00:01:41 Liesel

Sure. Okay, I have a really embarrassing story. I, in college decided to go to my first speech and debate tournament, and I entered in a bunch of different categories because I thought, "Oh, I can do speech and debate." And one of them was impromptu speaking where they give you a quotation and you're supposed to give, it turns out, like a philosophical analysis of the quotation.

                

00:02:03 Liesel

I didn't quite get the full brief. So, I went in and I sang. I ended up like singing like a musical number and doing a performance sort of inspired by the quotation, and like seriously a room of people just staring at me like what is going on?

                

00:02:22 Liesel

I'm like, "Oh, they're blinded by my talent." At that speech tournament, I got the bottom score from every judge in every performance I gave for the entire tournament. And it was like a three-hour bus ride home and I had to sit there and read these ballots that were like trying ... even the ones that were trying to be polite were humiliating.

                

00:02:45 Liesel

I'm surprised I stayed in speech and debate after that. I don't know, I must have been a glutton for punishment, but I'm glad I did.

                

00:02:53 Veronica

You have to tell me what song you were singing. You have to tell me the number that you did because ...

                

00:02:57 Liesel

It was, Come On, Get Happy. It was a quotation about happiness and I'm like, "Forget your troubles. Come on, get happy." I don't know. I don't know.

                

00:03:06 Veronica

That's great.

                

00:03:07 Liesel

Yeah, so any student I ever coached though, after that, I would be like, "Guess what? Whatever you do, it will not be worse than what I did."

                

00:03:16 Veronica

That is such a funny story.

                

00:03:21 Liesel

How about you? Have you ever had any big flops?

                

00:03:25 Veronica

You know, I've had so many random stories of failure. I mean, I came here to PCC in 2016 after dropping out of school in the Bay, and I came to PCC because so many people were telling me how amazing it was, and at the time, I didn't have a car and I was commuting, and it was really, really difficult for me to make that adjustment.

                

00:03:45 Veronica

But the professors and everyone was so nice that I felt like I wanted to do really well. I signed myself up for like five classes. Two weeks in, I dropped two of those classes. I ended up going out of the semester, I had only passed one class and it was with a C. I failed all of my other classes.

                

00:04:01 Veronica

And I eventually did end up dropping out. And like I said, I knew that I wanted to come back to PCC when I was ready to continue my academic journey. But I took that failure with me for a long time. Like I held it and was just like, "What is wrong with you? You know, you had this second chance and you blew it."

                

00:04:17 Veronica

But again, I'm, I'm really happy that I failed in that area because I would not be here if it wasn't for that.

                

00:04:22 Liesel

Well, congratulations for looking that in the face and showing back up. And you got an A in my class.

                

00:04:29 Veronica

I did. I got an A in your class and my journalism class. So, I started off the semester with a 4.0. Went into the next semester getting a 3-8. So, I felt pretty good about that.

                

00:04:39 Liesel

You should.

                

00:04:40 Veronica

Thank you.

                

00:04:41 Liesel

That's a good transition to our conversation you're going to have with our guest today who works in the Success Center, I think.

                

00:04:48 Veronica

She does. And our guest shares my experience with struggling with that transition from high school to college, and just about her failure. But her failures helped her to find her true calling, and also helped her find herself here at PCC. So, I'm excited to talk to this guest. Are you ready?

                

00:05:07 Liesel

I can't wait.

                

00:05:11 Veronica

We are here today with Giselle Miralles. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

                

00:05:16 Giselle

Yeah, of course. So, my name is Giselle Miralles. I am an instructor here at PCC in English, and I also am a writing center support faculty member where I help develop the programming there. I hire the tutors, provide workshops, make sure that our students have accessible writing support, and then I also teach English not just with you know, all students here at PCC, but I also teach the CORE scholars. I'm currently the CORE cohort instructors.

                

00:05:46 Veronica

Can you explain what CORE is for those that might not know?

                

00:05:48 Giselle

Yes, of course. So, CORE is an acronym for the Community Overcoming Recidivism through Education. And essentially, what CORE does is it provides support for previously incarcerated and system-impacted students. So, that comes in the form of one having that community where students can lean on each other, having support for which classes that they're supposed to take.

                

00:06:11 Giselle

I think they also provide workshops and they also have a lot of community building activities. So, I know recently, they went on a hike, so sad I couldn't have gone but they do all sorts of things to help these students feel like they belong here at PCC, and that they are capable of passing and getting through and getting their degree here.

                

00:06:30 Veronica

I see. Is there a reason why you specifically decided to work with CORE?

                

00:06:36 Giselle

Yeah, so it goes back in my educational and my academic career. When I was in college, I learned a lot of things about like critical race theory, intersectional feminism, a lot of these big theories that helped me understand my life.

                

00:06:52 Giselle

So, while I was at Cal State Long Beach, there was a professor in particular, Professor Dennis Lopez and he really impacted me in so many ways. I carry what he taught me with me every day that I come to work. But more than anything, he was the first professor of color that I saw in the English department.

                

00:07:11 Giselle

He actually demoed in the class I was part of as part of his interview, and I still remember the poem he taught. It was a Sherman Alexie poem about Walt Whitman, and I just found him so impactful. And just seeing someone teaching literature in front of the classroom that was like me, it was life-changing.

                

00:07:30 Giselle

So, I saw him and I thought like I want to be like him. But not just like that person standing in front of the classroom. It was the way that he taught me. He taught me things that mattered. He showed me that I could do it too, but also, he was very understanding and compassionate.

                

00:07:47 Giselle

So, even in grad school, he'd let me turn stuff in late and I think a lot of people have this idea of colleges being difficult and unrelenting, but he showed me it could be something else. So, from him, I just really wanted to teach. That's one thing.

                

00:08:04 Giselle

Another thing that's impacted me to want to do this work. So, with that knowledge of critical race theory and social justice, was my time working in the Orange County Juvenile Hall. I worked there for three years as an English language development assistant.

                

00:08:20 Giselle

When I graduated with my bachelor's, I had no idea what I was going to do. I was on like EDJOIN, and just applying to any job I saw. So, when I applied for the job, I didn't even realize what it was, I just applied.

                

00:08:31 Giselle

I got an interview and it was in the interview where they told me like this is for a position in a juvenile facility. And I was like, oh, okay. Turns out I got the job and they kind of threw me in there. So, I had a short orientation and then it was actually in the juvenile hall.

                

00:08:49 Giselle

So, my first experience walking through multiple locked doors, having to have the staff buzz me in to get into like what's essentially a school. And then during the actual orientation, they really just taught us safety stuff. But what they didn't teach us was how to interact with the students.

                

00:09:07 Giselle

So, I got all this like safety information and they made it seem like it was kind of dangerous. That's the kind of idea they put in your head when the focus is on safety. But once I actually got into the classroom my first day, I was so lucky to be paired with a teacher who really cared about these students.

                

00:09:24 Giselle

Not everyone in there does. Some teachers see them as criminals (I hate to say that) - but that is just how some of them see them. But this teacher, she really saw them and she's still my dear friend today. She really saw them for who they were and she wanted them to do better. So, with that sort of mentorship, I really grew into that role.

                

00:09:41 Giselle

But my first day, they were making gingerbread houses, and I was walking through the classroom, she told me, "Just be comfortable, just be yourself, they'll love you." And I had no idea how to interact with the students but I just was like, "Okay, well, I'll just talk to them like any other student."

                

00:09:57 Giselle

And I still remember, I asked a student, "Oh, that's a great gingerbread house. Can you tell me like what you did with it?" And he was like, "Well, this guy just got like shot at in front of his house and this is what's going on here." And I was taken aback by that.

                

00:10:10 Giselle

But later on, I learned he was just trying to shock me. But all the students in there are just students. They want to do well, they want someone to believe in them. It really took the theory that I learned in grad school and made me put it into practice, and I'm also system-impacted. And it wasn't until CORE that I understood what that was.

                

00:10:29 Giselle

My brother is previously incarcerated and seeing what he's gone through and what he continues to go through to today - we have a film documentary shown here at PCC called Almost Home that CORE brought and one of my colleagues in English brought to campus.

                

00:10:43 Giselle

And it's about students who are overcoming recidivism, returning back to jail, life after prison. And I see my brother so much in that, and my hope and dreams that he'll come to PCC and be part of the CORE Program as well because I see the struggles and it's us that's helping him through it. Me, my mom, and my sister.

                

00:11:02 Veronica

I was just wondering if you could tell me a little bit more and how that has changed not just your life but your perspective in terms of what you're doing in your career.

                

00:11:11 Giselle

So, for me, my brother has always been the black sheep in terms of like he's labeled himself that, but he struggled a lot throughout the years with several things. The time when he was incarcerated wasn't the first time he was incarcerated. It was just the first time that it really impacted me because he had been incarcerated before.

                

00:11:30 Giselle

The time when he was incarcerated and it impacted me, it was really hard because it was the first time that I really saw adult jail because I had been in juvenile hall working there. But to go through court with him, to visit him while he was in jail, to get the phone calls from jail, it was really difficult.

                

00:11:47 Giselle

When I went to visit him, and walking into the jail, like I only went once because it was hard. I thought it wouldn't impact me because I had already been through the juvenile hall. But that experience of going to jail to visit someone you love, having to see them behind glass, it's hard. It's not easy. I can never understand what it feels like to be incarcerated. That is far worse than what I've experienced.

                

00:12:09 Giselle

But watching my brother go through it, it really personalized all the theory that I already learned, all the experiences I had in the juvenile hall, it brought it home to me. Having to worry about him, waiting for his phone calls and having that prompt come up - "You have a call from an inmate in so-and-so facility."

                

00:12:29 Giselle

Accepting that call, talking to him for the allotted amount of time he can, never it being too far from my mind that he was calling me from a phone in jail. It really just made everything that I learned in school real. Everything that I saw in the juvenile hall, more personal to me.

                

00:12:48 Giselle

So, we still deal with the repercussions. Even though he's no longer incarcerated, watching him trying to be stable working through his mental health issues, working through his alcoholism, watching him trying to find a job and keep it because the system that's set up, sets up previously incarcerated folks for failure.

                

00:13:08 Giselle

Ultimately, you walk out with a felony, good luck finding a job. It's unfair, it's wrong, it's unjust. Watching him still struggle every day with this thing on his record that doesn't define him as a person, but follows him around. Like I know the person he is, I know his heart, I love my brother dearly. But to watch him struggle and to see the roadblocks that are set in front of him, like it makes it hard for him.

                

00:13:32 Giselle

Sometimes, he wants to just give up. I take him with me in the classroom all the time, like he's always with me because I just want him to do better.

                

00:13:40 Giselle

And when I see my students do well and know that they can do it, it gives me hope that my brother can do it too. It's just a matter of putting your mind to it and doing your best that you can with the systemic oppressions that do exist, because ultimately, we can't ignore that.

                

00:13:54 Giselle

It isn't just about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. It's trying to navigate the system that's been set up to have these individuals fail. These systemic oppressions that are intentional. So, it's made me want to fight even more, not just support the students that I have, but fight even more towards a more just future. Particularly, in terms of how it relates to incarceration.

                

00:14:17 Veronica

I like the way that you said that. I think the other thing that is so nice that your brother is so lucky to have is of course, you and your mom.

                

00:14:24 Veronica

I know a lot of people personally who came out from being incarcerated and they didn't have this community or this family that was looking out for them or even trying to support them, and I'm sure he appreciates you and loves you so much for that. So, how did your career working in the juvenile hall, how did that bring you to PCC?

                

00:14:45 Giselle

I had thoughts of getting into social work, that didn't happen. So, I just ended up finishing my degree, going to Fullerton and working there as an instructional assistant. So, I just worked in a Learning Center, I helped with the programming.

                

00:14:57 Giselle

They're very similar to what I do here in the Writing Center. But in the learning center, I was helping students. I felt like I was doing something meaningful, but there was always something there that was missing for me. There was just something that I couldn't understand where my work didn't feel like it was having the impact that I wanted it to have.

                

00:15:15 Giselle

So, when PCC flew the Writing Center faculty position, one of my colleagues and mentors at Fullerton was like, "You're perfect for this, apply." And I was like, "No, I'm not going to apply to PCC. One, it's too far, and two, they'll never choose me."

                

00:15:32 Giselle

So, I just applied. I remember I got my application in a couple hours before it closed because I dragged my feet thinking that I wouldn't get the job or why even try. I applied, I got called for an interview, I came in, and I think I was one of their top three.

                

00:15:47 Giselle

So, I got hired here and it really helped me expand on my Writing Center work. So, here, I got to take a more intentional role in developing learning support in that, now, as faculty, I get to decide what sort of programming are we having in there, how does tutoring run? How do we train the tutors? What workshops are we providing? What do students need to know? But still, even with all this work that I was doing, I felt like something was still missing.

                

00:16:16 Giselle

So, during lockdown, I was thinking like, what will make my time here at PCC more impactful? And I thought like, "Wow, it would be great if I could work with CORE." When I learned about CORE the first time when I came to PCC, I was like I want to work with that program. I didn't know in what capacity, but I knew I wanted to work with them.

                

00:16:34 Giselle

So, I got the idea of like what if I was able to teach an English 1A cohort? It was just an idea I had in my head. And then we came back to campus in fall 2021, and the Dean of English languages studies division came to me and said, "Hey, Giselle, you have experience in working with students in the juvenile hall. Would you be open to working with the CORE scholars?"

                

00:16:58 Giselle

And it just fell into my lap and I was like, "Of course, I'd be more than happy to." So, that's where we are now. So, I'm very grateful that I get the opportunity to work with the CORE scholars.

                

00:17:08 Veronica

I love that throughout your career, every time you felt like something wasn't right or it wasn't exactly what you wanted to do, that you kept pushing yourself to do more. And not just to do more for yourself, but to do more for the community around you.

                

00:17:23 Veronica

You're doing so much here on campus to help so many different students. Is there a story or an event that really sticks out in your mind while working here at PCC where you're like, "Ugh, I love what I do. This is so amazing?"

                

00:17:36 Giselle

It's hard to think of one particular moment. I've had students come to me and thank me for my flexibility, but it's more than that. I think one positive for me is seeing students pass the class when they feel like they don't belong, and they have imposter syndrome.

                

00:17:54 Giselle

One particular event I can think of is last semester, I had a student who stopped attending class, a CORE scholar, he stopped coming. And I just emailed him and I said, "Hey, we've been missing you in class. I just wanted to know what's up. I'm here if you need anything."

                

00:18:11 Giselle

He didn't respond to my email, but a couple days later, he showed up in my office in person and he apologized to me that he wasn't coming to class, which is like it's funny to think that students feel the need to apologize. It's not me that's hurting, it's you that's missing your education.

                

00:18:28 Giselle

But he came to me and apologized, and said that he wants to pass the class. He told me that he thought about it and he was going to say, "I'm just going to let it go, I'm not going to pass. I don't care, I'm going to drop it." It was towards the end of the semester so he wouldn't have gotten a W, it would've been an F on his transcript.

                

00:18:43 Giselle

And he said "I was willing to take it and just let go. But you emailed me and you told me like it's okay, you can come back to class." And he came, he worked with me on his paper, and then he ended up writing a very strong paper. He met all the requirements for an A, I do contract rating in my class.

                

00:19:01 Giselle

So, it's based on a set of goals they reach. He met all the goals for an A, but in his reflection letter, he told me that he only deserved a C. So, the imposter syndrome is so real with some of these students and I just want to tell them like, you're so capable, you're so smart. And I do tell them this, but they need to believe it. That's what it is.

                

00:19:21 Giselle

So, the fact that he went all the way to the end, I gave him an A, he met all the requirements, he deserved it. And I have him in my class again this semester. So, I'm very grateful to watch them succeed. It makes working here at PCC very meaningful.

                

00:19:37 Veronica

I want to kind of go back a little bit and talk more about your personal academic journey. I know that that's something that you and I have discussed in the past. We both kind of were talking about just really struggling, kind of like that imposter syndrome again where we didn't feel like we were capable of doing what we wanted to do. So, can you kind of tell me about your experience in that?

                

00:19:59 Giselle

Yeah, so to go back just a little bit, when I was in high school, I did relatively well. I think I graduated with like a 3.8, so I was a pretty decent student. And I got into almost all the schools I applied to, ended up going to Cal State Long Beach, and I struggled a lot those first two years. It was bad.

                

00:20:19 Giselle

My GPA dropped down to a 2.5, I ditched class so often. There are some classes that I passed and I'm still unsure of how I did. I had to take developmental math twice and it was just so frustrating for me as someone who did so well in high school. I was so disappointed in myself.

                

00:20:40 Giselle

And I look back at that and I wonder why did you do that? And it was the fact that I didn't have a community on campus. I had friends I went to high school with that also went, but they were in different majors, we were doing different things. I didn't see myself in the English Program. I actually changed my major to journalism, and then back to English when I realized I didn't like journalism either. No offense.

                

00:21:05 Veronica

None taken.

                

00:21:06 Giselle

I didn't feel like I belonged there. I still struggle with imposter syndrome today, but I struggled with it a lot when I got to college. The thing that I ended up majoring in and getting a master's degree in, I didn't feel good enough. So, without a community with strong imposter syndrome, and without proper academic support, I really fell from where I once was in terms of my academics.

                

00:21:32 Veronica

I can definitely relate to that personally. You and I are a little bit switched because I originally went to school as an English major, and then left it because I felt like the only real opportunities was to be an educator. And I grew up in a family of educators and I was like, "I wanted to teach people in a different way."

                

00:21:48 Veronica

So, I actually switched to creative writing, which ultimately, led me to journalism even though it's very different, but I definitely understand what you're saying about resources because I went to a California state university as well. And I just thought in my mind, I don't know why I just assumed that everything would just be there and that there would be people there to help me.

                

00:22:07 Veronica

And I was shocked to learn that not only were there not really people there to help me, there wasn't as many communities I guess, as they had advertised. And it was really upsetting because also like you, I didn't see very many people that looked like me. Not just students on campus, but faculty members, there wasn't really like any clubs for black students.

                

00:22:27 Veronica

And so, it was really disheartening for me and it left me feeling like I didn't have a place there and that's ultimately why I left. And so, coming to PCC was just a complete change for me because as soon as I came here, my co-host, Liesel, she told me to join the Blackademia Program and just joining that completely changed everything for me.

                

00:22:49 Veronica

I mean, to this day, I know that I can go into the Black Student Center, and talk to my counselor. Every time I see her, she gives me a big hug, she compliments me on something, ask me how my family's doing. And I just never grew up with that type of community even before when I was in high school.

                

00:23:05 Veronica

And so, something I wanted to ask you is what opportunities do you see here on campus that are available to students that they might not know about?

                

00:23:15 Giselle

That's a great question. So, the first and foremost thing that I'm going to mention is of course, the Writing Center. I think that even with my own students, I see them struggling with writing, and the Writing Center is a great place to actually learn what you need to brush up on in terms of your writing skills.

                

00:23:33 Giselle

It's a great place to just study, to be in a space that's quiet in community with other students who are also just trying to get through their classes. I think there's a lot of spaces on campus that allow for that, just for you to sit and be in community with other students.

                

00:23:48 Giselle

Another thing about the Writing Center I will say is the opportunity for work. And this is true for any place on campus. I think students who are able to find a job on campus and build community with whoever they're working with is very helpful.

                

00:24:02 Giselle

I think that students who do work in the Writing Center end up using that experience to shape their future journeys. I myself was a writing tutor and this is where I am now. So, I think it's very valuable not only to just get involved in terms of getting support, but also, seeing what other opportunities lie beyond that.

                

00:24:20 Giselle

Of course, I'm going to say CORE. CORE's doing great work. They're supporting students that previously, did not have any support. I've heard students say that CORE is the first place that made them feel like they belonged here. And I think that's what's key with these programs on campus, is making students feel like they belong, that they should be here at PCC.

                

00:24:39 Giselle

And of course, any Success Center. So, as someone who struggled with math in particular in college, and was really a huge downfall of mine, there's tutoring for every subject on campus. And it's through the Success Centers located in the D Building. And I think students should be aware of that, that even if you're struggling, there is support that exists to get you through.

                

00:25:01 Veronica

It's funny that you're talking about how you struggled with math because I also struggled with math. That's one of the biggest things that has been holding me back from getting my degree. Like I don't even want to touch it because when I was in high school. I like flunked out of my math class senior year, and then I failed every math class that I've taken since then.

                

00:25:20 Veronica

And so, I've talked to a lot of other students here on campus who are really struggling with being able to pass their math classes. So, thank you for letting me and everybody else know about that.

                

00:25:31 Veronica

Is there any tips or advice that you would give for faculty members to communicate these types of programs to their students?

                

00:25:41 Giselle

Yeah, so I think one tip I would say is that bring your students to the centers. In the Writing Success Center, we have a class visit schedule request. So, if you'd like to bring your class in, like you just go to our website, fill it out. And we're more than happy to schedule you to come in with your class.

                

00:25:58 Giselle

I think offering extra credit is an excellent way to get students to get into the centers, but also, being real with them and just telling them like, "Hey, if it's hard, like support exists" and just leveling with them and telling them, "Seek it, don't be ashamed." Even what we consider the "good" student should seek support.

                

00:26:19 Veronica

I kind of want to know that right now, since you've been at PCC, what is something that you have learned about yourself?

                

00:26:27 Giselle

So, for me, I think one key lesson I've taken away is that the struggle never ends. I remember being in college and thinking like, "Ugh, I can't wait until I graduate. And then all this struggle, this anxiety, this drive to want to do better it's going to end because I'll be in a job. And once I'm in that job, all I'll have to do is work."

                

00:26:48 Giselle

I've learned that it changes in a different way. Of course, there's still struggle, but it's different. For example, I assign homework to my students and I assign essays to my students, and then it's me that has to grade them, and it's me that wants to actually do well when I'm grading those essays. And so, that struggle has changed in that it's morphed in me setting these high standards that sometimes I feel like I fail to meet.

                

00:27:13 Giselle

And I think that really links back to imposter syndrome. Through working with students, I've learned that there are places where I can improve, but there are also times when I wonder like can I actually do this job?

                

00:27:25 Giselle

And I struggle a lot with imposter syndrome, and I feel like that's one place I can really relate with some of my students, is that sometimes, it's really hard to feel like you belong, but you just have to keep reminding yourself that you're here, you've made it here, you do belong here. That lesson I try to pass on to my students, I need to remind myself that that is also true for me as well.

                

00:27:47 Veronica

I agree. Not just that you belong here, but you deserve to be here just as much as everybody else deserves to be here. So, I have one more question and I would just say that you've obviously come very far in your personal life, definitely in your career, and of course, your academic journey. But I was just wondering what part of you still feels like you are in under development?

                

00:28:11 Giselle

I feel like I'm still never good enough, I'm still never the person that I need to be. That there's always something better that I can do that I'm not as smart as my colleagues, that I'm not as accomplished as my colleagues.

                

00:28:24 Giselle

I've even gone as far as thinking as like, "Why do I get to teach this class? I'm sure someone else would do a better job." So, I struggle a lot with that and I think that's the biggest place where I can develop as an instructor, as an educator, as a person, is telling myself that "You've made it this far, people must see something in you. You just have to believe that there is something there," that I add meaning to the things that I'm doing right.

                

00:28:51 Veronica

I can honestly say your resilience is something that I can definitely relate to. And it was just nice to be able to have a conversation with a professor who is young and has the same fears that I know myself and so many other of my peers have as well.

                

00:29:09 Veronica

And so, I just wanted to say thank you because the main thing that I'm getting from our conversation is just hope, there is that light at the end of the tunnel. But you have to look for the light, you have to go for it, you have to try to grab it. And so, it's just really nice to be able to see that reflected in another person, especially another woman of color.

                

00:29:30 Giselle

Thank you, Veronica. It's been such a pleasure to talk to you and I'm so glad that PCC has people like you here.

                

00:29:38 Veronica

Thank you so much, Giselle. For anyone here on campus, where can we find you?

                

00:29:44 Giselle

I am located in the Writing Success Center in C345. As long as the door's open, I always tell my students, you're free to walk in.

                

00:29:52 Veronica

Perfect. And then how can we have other students or faculty get connected with you outside of meeting you in your classroom?

                

00:29:58 Giselle

So, I think that the best way is always email, [email protected]. I really welcome anyone to reach out to me if they're interested in taking courses with me for students. And then for faculty, if you want to talk about the Writing Success Center and all the supports we offer, I am more than happy to do that.

                

00:30:18 Veronica

Perfect. Once again, thank you so much, Giselle. It was such an honor to have you here in the studio.

                

00:30:23 Giselle

Thank you, Veronica.

                

00:30:28 Veronica

Alright, Liesel, so what did you think about that episode?

                

00:30:32 Liesel

What she said about success - we talk a lot about student success on campus, that we want to achieve student success, we're all here for student success as though it's something that we attain, but it isn't. It's sort of the sparkling diamond that we're all heading toward, sort of the end of the rainbow that you could never reach.

                

00:30:49 Liesel

And we're really on a success journey. It's guided by the idea of success, but it's not like we attain it. I've noticed students come in and they've gathered themselves, fought their way to campus, showed up even though they haven't done all the work, show up to class, and then there's something we can say or do that distinguishes that hope so easily.

                

00:31:10 Liesel

The tiniest thing a teacher looking at them the wrong way, or not being able to find parking, and that they're just like, "Oh, I give up then." They're that close to giving up. We have to remember that every single person we're encountering is potentially teetering on the brink of hope and hopelessness. And we have to find a way to push them over the edge of hope.

                

00:31:34 Veronica

And what I'm hearing from that also is again, that community, again, this is a community college and something as simple as helping somebody get to class can really change someone's entire perspective. I know that I've had that experience multiple times where I did not want to be on campus that day, but somebody telling me that they liked my outfit immediately changed my perspective.

                

00:31:55 Veronica

I was like, "Okay, I think I can do this." And that sounds so ridiculous and it's so small. Sometimes it doesn't have to be some big thing. It could be something as little as just smiling at them, giving them a bottle of water. You know what I'm saying? Helping them when they're lost. It's the little thing sometimes. And I would say that I think Giselle's story is really impactful because she also talks about that community.

                

00:32:18 Liesel

It makes me feel great knowing that at a minimum what I can do if I feel like a student is hopeless, is send them into the Success Center and they're going to meet Giselle or someone like her, and they're going to convey that hope. I think we're on the right path when it comes to our success framework.

                

00:32:34 Veronica

I agree. I can say that as a student, if I was really struggling and I walked into the Success Center, and was around somebody like Giselle or somebody that she hired because she also was in charge of hiring tutors, I would just be beyond grateful.

                

00:32:46 Liesel

We're lucky to have her.

                

00:32:47 Veronica

Very lucky.

                

00:32:50 Liesel

Thank you for listening to the Under Development Podcast. This podcast is production of the Office of Professional and Organizational Development at Pasadena City College, and funded by a PCC Foundation Community Excellence Grant.

                

00:33:04 Liesel

I'm your co-host, Liesel Reinhart. Our host is Veronica Daniel. Executive producers of this podcast are Dr. Jason Robinson and Nicholas Hatch.

                

00:33:13 Liesel

We invite you to join our community by subscribing to the podcast or visit the website for the Office of Professional and Organizational Development at PCC to find out more resources mentioned in this show, workshops you can be a part of, and how to get involved in professional development here at the college.