Here to Help
"I want to be the person who's reaching out and helping other students and letting them know that there are resources, that there are people to help, and no matter how much you're struggling, you can recover from it." – Joni "Jay" George
Joni George didn't let a rough childhood prevent her from pursuing a college education, and she didn't let a rough first semester stop her either. The 22-year-old English major is now in her second year at HCC and was elected to represent her classmates on the Board of Trustees for the 2022-2023 academic year. George, who goes by "Jay," talked about her life, college experiences, and personal goals during a conversation earlier this fall.
You graduated in 2020 from Chicopee Comprehensive High School, but you're not a native of western Massachusetts.
I'm originally from Maine. I grew up in a kind or explosive household that was not beneficial for me and my learning. My family and I decided it would be better for me to get a new start at a new school in a new state. In 2018, at the end of my sophomore year in high school, I moved in with my uncle, aunt, and grandmother in Chicopee, and I've really thrived since then.
Do you mind saying more about that?
Sure. I'm an open book. I think it's easier to relate to someone if you know they've struggled too and then figured out how to overcome it.
Have you struggled a lot?
It was real struggle – unreliable transportation, unreliable home life, which always bleeds into your education. I stayed back two years in elementary school because of familial issues. I was either not getting to school when I should have been in school, or I was not doing the work that I should have been doing.
Why did you choose HCC?
When I first moved here, I was determined study culinary arts. I was on the fast track to go to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and I was really excited. I got accepted, but then COVID hit and I pulled my application because I don't do very well with online classes. I decided to take a gap year instead. That free time allowed me to think about what I actually want in my life. And I don't want to be on my feet 12 hours a day in a hot kitchen, away from the sunshine and away from everything I love and burn out on this hobby that I enjoy. So, I decided that I was going to do my culinary arts as a hobby, something to show my love to those around me and focus on English, which I also love.
What do you love about it?
I'm a complete book nerd. I've always been obsessed with books. It leads back to growing up in a rough home. I read to escape, to be in a different world. And I've had several influential English teachers in elementary through high school who really pushed me to do creative writing, to put my work out there. I've entered poetry contests and won small prizes. It's just a hobby that I want to make more. I want to inspire others and show them how it's helped me cope with a lot of stuff in my life. I hope to get my PhD in English so that I can be a professor.
You got off to a rough start at HCC.
I struggled really, really hard last fall, in 2021. My grandma ended up passing away. I don't think I realized how much it was affecting me but I had an extreme decline in my grades. I ended the semester with a 1.6 GPA, which is nothing to be proud of. I felt really alone on campus. But I got help. I talked to my advisors. I talked to TRIO Student Support Services. I talked to my professors. For the spring semester, I came back swinging hard, and I did amazing. All A's, and I ended up with a 3.1 GPA.
Is that one of the reasons you wanted to be student-trustee?
It's been a slow process for me gaining the confidence to go for the things that I want.That first semester made me realize that not everyone knows that they have options on campus. I feel like everyone has a point in their life academically when they just don't feel supported, and they feel like giving up on whatever they're striving for. I want to be the person who's reaching out and helping other students and letting them know that there are resources, that there are people to help, and no matter how much you're struggling, you can recover from it. That's why I decided to give myself the push. It was hard. I am a very nervous person. It wasn't an easy decision, but I'm very proud, and I'm very excited to be the one who can help.
As a member of the board, are there any particular issues you're focusing on?
I'm on the Equity and Diversity Committee, and that's just making sure that all of our students, no matter their backgrounds, that they're getting all the help they can to thrive here. In Student Senate, I'm focusing more on addressing student issues. Students come to me with their concerns. I report them to the Senate. If it's really big issue, I report them to the president. I'm also focusing on getting students to know that there is help for them on campus. I'm on the committee running our monthly newsletter. And we're going to start a new advice column soon so student can ask questions anonymously that they might think are dumb, and once they ask the question, everyone on campus will know the answer.
What campus resources have you used?
I know it's not an option for everyone, but TRIO really helped me. They got me a learning coach. They got me the tutoring I needed, and my advisor was just so helpful and so supportive throughout all of it. Student engagement helped pull me out of my shell and let me know that I'm not alone. It's important to know that there are people on campus who are struggling just like you are, and you can connect with them. I also find that our campus mental health services through CHD are very important, because not everyone can afford therapy, and not everyone knows who to go to for help. I'd like to make it less stigmatized to reach out. I didn't go there myself when I was struggling, but I wish that I had.
PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: Joni "Jay" George at HCC
