On Sunday, I caught Jenna Abbot on the phone as she was returning to her home in Stuvi I after seeing a close friend perform in Stage Troupe’s Parents Weekend “Into the Woods” show. Even though she’s busy with her courses, thinking about graduation, social justice initiatives and Kappa Delta, she still finds time to spend time catch up with her friends.
Jenna is the kind of person who glows with life…and knows EVERYONE. And if you don’t know her, I’m sure she’d love to get to know you. She radiates enthusiasm and passion in all that she does. Jenna cares so much about her friends and community, but also the world.
Jenna lives a double life (like Kim Possible) as a BU SED senior and teacher. This semester she’s been student teaching in Brookline full-time. Her voice catches her smile as she talks about her experience. Although peers told her she wouldn’t encounter the same problems in the suburban middle school she teaches as she would in school inner city schools, Jenna’s discovered that diversity exists everywhere. She has committed herself to giving an equitable experience to every kid and sees this as an exciting challenge. Some days she’ll arrive at her middle school at 7:30 a.m. and leave around 3:15 p.m. to get back to class at BU. She manages this busyness because she’s truly dedicated to teaching and bettering the world.
This past summer, Jenna was a FYSOP coordinator for the Homelessness and Housing issue area that tied in her love for social justice, leadership and teaching. FYSOP introduced her to a community that cared so much about the world, and being able to be united with people who shared her general desire for social justice was so cool to her. During FYSOP Jenna recalls watching her and her co-coordinator’s work unfold as surreal. Seeing their knowledge and passion for social justice pass through communication from the staff to the first years made her remember why she wants to be a teacher. She loved how she could see how community service could ignite a group of people, causing individuals to be lit on fire.
But Jenna’s leadership doesn’t end with student teaching or FYSOP, she’s also the president of BU’s Kappa Delta chapter. To Jenna, being a part of Kappa Delta on the executive team is an amazing experience. She’s proud of her work for KΔ: she’s learned how to relate to people and solve problems efficiently all while maintaining a set of standard and values for herself and others.
Although Jenna loves BU, she’s excited about life after graduation. A year ago she’d have probably said she was going to stay in Boston after graduation. One year later with a lot more perspective, now Jenna says she would prefer to explore many other cools places and take this opportunity to make the most of her time experiencing different areas. Wherever she ends up, Jenna would be teaching social studies to middle-schoolers. She says everyone groans when she says she wants to teach middle school, but she sees a special spark in the age group. Reflecting on her plans for after graduation, Jenna is excited. She thinks it’s weird to be thinking about jobs, but anyone can tell she’s ready to go out into the world and make a change.
If you’re looking for Jenna and her contagious smile, she can be found anywhere near Starbucks—she’s addicted!