08/06/2024
Ali Matheson and Amber Tansey interview our new Vice President of Student Services, Dr. Molly Senecal! Don't miss this!
Transcript:
Ali: Welcome to JC! We are thrilled to have you here!
Molly: Thank you so much! I am really glad to be here.
Ali: What is your name?
Molly: My name is Molly Senecal (introduces her sign name). I am the Vice President of Student Services here at JC.
Ali: Can you share more about the meaning behind your name sign?
Molly: Yes, sure! One of my eyes, itself, is half blue and half brown. A friend of mine gave me the sign name. If you look closely, you can see the two colors.
Ali: Cool! That is a unique and cool sign name! So, where did you move from?
Molly: I moved from a town called Granite Bay. It’s near Sacramento. I moved here pretty recently. Two months ago!
Ali: Welcome! What are your hobbies? What do you love doing?
Molly: I am very involved with outdoor activities. I love hiking and trail running. I participated in a 50K trail run a few years ago and loved it! I also enjoy camping and backpacking. Really, I love doing anything outside! Santa Rosa is so beautiful with all the greenery and we had a lot of rain recently. Lots of rain. There are so many options for hiking and trail running around here. I love this area.
Ali: It is pretty amazing here for that!
Amber: What is your plan for SRJC?
Molly: That is a good question. First, I want to say that I just joined SRJC two months ago, so I do not want to sound like I know everything, or that I am taking over and changing everything. That is not my intention. I was interested in the opportunities that the JC has to offer, and there is already a lot of good work happening here. Also, SRJC has a long history of really involving and partnering with the surrounding community. And this community is really a part of SRJC. I was really attracted to that. What do I see are a lot of great opportunities for alignment.
Right now, there are many state and federal requirements that community colleges need to meet. For example, Guided Pathways and student equity plans. These can feel disconnected from each other and sometimes operate in silos. That means some of the work might be duplicated and support can feel disconnected. We want to reduce that,
streamline the work and collaborate with each other. The key here is to really center the student’s experience and let the student experience guide the work, rather than us do the work without student input. We need to include student experiences and input from the very beginning. So, my vision is to support that alignment of student equity and achievement.
Amber: We are truly lucky to have you here.
Molly: Oh, thank you!
Amber: You could have picked any other college, what made you choose SRJC?
Molly: Good question! I have lived in Sac. for 35 years. Originally, I moved to Northern California from Southern California to attend college at UC Davis. Once I moved to Northern California, I fell in love with the area and settled down. All of my kids were born and raised here. My youngest child just graduated from high school and he is 19. He just went off to college, so we now have an empty nest. My husband and I discussed what is next for us. I started thinking about where I would choose. I already loved Santa Rosa and have visited this area frequently and have friends here. My husband and I also got married in Guerneville, which is not too far from here. Over the years, I have come here to hike and it’s also not too close or not too far from San Francisco. And two of my adult children live in the Bay Area. The other perk about the city is that there is a wonderful Deaf community there! So with that being said, my husband and I decided to go for it and I applied to SRJC. Also, we have a new president here, Dr. Gracia! She is amazing!
Amber: She is the champ!
Molly: She’s amazing. Dr. Gracia is the first female, Latinx and openly q***r president of SRJC. She is very committed to equity and disability justice. She is awesome with this work. I knew her before I came to the JC. She will go far with SRJC!
Amber: As a student, I feel blessed to have both of you here. Molly, you as our first Deaf vice president, and our current president, Dr. Gracia. This will take us far and I am looking forward to what is to come!
Would you like to add any closing comments?
Molly: I feel really honored to join the SRJC community and be part of the team. It is incredible! I am the first Deaf VP in the state of California. I have no one else who is Deaf to lean for advice. Of course, I have people who support and mentor me, but I am figuring it out as I go.
Amber: I believe in you! You can do it!
Molly: I appreciate all of your support! I also want to pass on that support to people of all abilities with different experiences. We pave the way so all of us can be involved in this work!
Amber: Thank you so much for your time and being here. It was great to get to know you.
Molly: I look forward to more!
