Student Profiles

Sagal Sadiq, School of Education and Liberal Arts

Sadiq knows a bit about helping others: she's a single mother and registered nurse (RN), who works full time in the post-anesthesia recovery unit (PACU) at HealthSouth's Surgery Center in San Jose while attending classes at JFK University's Campbell campus. As part of JFKU's Pathway program, Sadiq will be able to transfer to UCSF for her Masters of Nursing degree.

Sadiq and her family arrived in the United States from Somalia in 1996. She worked as an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse but found the job very stressful and began to look for alternatives. As she searched online for educational programs and talked with colleagues about professional schools, Sadiq found JFK University.

"I chose JFKU because it has the linked-degree program and the psychology major, which means I can combine my love of introspection and my love of nursing—and I can also prepare to get a Masters degree," says Sadiq. "At JFKU, I take six to nine units at a time. That way, I can handle family and work while going to school."

But JFKU turns out to offer something even more powerful for Sadiq. "In one memorable class, we had to make a collage about ourselves. I loved that and hated it at the same time because I had to dig really deep inside. But I learned a lot about myself and made significant transformations as a result. I quit the job I didn't like, found a new job I love, and moved to a new apartment—all within three months!"

Sadiq already applies her classroom learning to her work with patients in the PACU. Now, she knows how to create a safe environment where people can handle interpersonal issues and the challenges of illness. She's better able to stop, pay attention, and listen to patients, even when time and financial constraints in the workplace make caregiving a challenge.

"I didn't know I would find so much at JFKU," says Sadiq. "Even when I was uncomfortable in the learning process, the faculty and my classmates and the activities were insightful and inspiring. Everyone is so encouraging. JFKU appreciates individual uniqueness and values diversity of all kinds. It's a place that's open to new ways of being. Because the classes are small, you really get to know people; they almost become like family, and we help each other a lot. Getting a degree is quite a journey, but I know it will be worth all the effort. I believe I am emerging as a profoundly different person than if I hadn't found JFKU. And I like that!"

Peggy Bristol-Wright, School of Law

From her background of working in various aspects of corporate law, Bristol-Wright was intrigued about becoming an attorney herself but didn't like the negative emphasis on competition she'd seen. As she searched for law schools with a public service focus, a trusted colleague suggested JFKU. Bristol-Wright needed a program with part-time options—she continues to teach office technology classes for adults at Contra Costa College in San Pablo—and one near her home that also welcomes a diversity of students. "Different backgrounds, attitudes, ages, approaches in my peer group—that variety is important to me," says Bristol-Wright. "Finding this humanitarian vision of the law at JFKU was a huge bonus and exactly the encouragement I needed to enroll here."

As a first-year student, Bristol-Wright wanted to get involved in legal work right away. She began volunteering at JFKU's Elder Law Clinic, typically a site for second-year internships, and found helping seniors deal with financial abuse and fraud to be "fascinating and compelling." At the Clinic, where she now works part-time, Bristol-Wright jumped in to do whatever was needed and was trusted by the supervising attorney to handle everything from client intake to discussions about scope of service. Expected to act as if working in a law firm, Bristol-Wright was energized by doing "front-line work right away. People rise to the level of high expectation, and that's what I found at JFKU."

Bristol-Wright appreciates JFKU's excellent faculty who "clearly know the law, understand how to apply it, and excel at explaining it." Readily available to answer questions, professors offer anecdotes and stories from the real world that apply case law and help bring classroom concepts to life. "They are compassionate without compromising student accountability."

For Bristol-Wright, JFKU has the "perfect mix" for first-year students. Assigned reading includes excerpts from the work of Gandhi, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and the Greek tragedy Antigone—from the perspective of the role of public policy, and a book whose author said his goal was to write about spirituality and the practice of law—Transforming Practices: Finding Joy and Satisfaction in the Legal Life. Bristol-Wright also recognized that she was absorbing a solid legal education as she browsed online through cases brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center and realized she could now follow the organization, structure, and strategy of a federal pleading.

Bristol-Wright acknowledges the serious demands for study to succeed in law school. While JFKU's collaborative approach and public service focus create a different environment than at other law schools, pressure and high expectations still exist. "You must come prepared to work hard. You cannot wait to do things at the last minute. The work is demanding, but it becomes less stressful when you embrace that challenge. In making a commitment to yourself, your classmates, and the School at JFKU, the outcome is extremely positive."

Charlene Tuckerson, School of Management

Success Built to Last

After Tuckerson moved to California from her home in Kenner, Louisiana, she worked for seven years as a legal clerk in Contra Costa County and, in 1999, started law school at JFKU. In 2002, she became Outreach Coordinator for JFKU's School of Management and is now its Administrative Director. When serious family health issues arose, Tuckerson was forced to leave law school, but she valued the educational connection and switched to the MBA program at JFKU.

"Knowledge of theories is important, but tapping into the practical experience of people who work in the field is invaluable," says Tuckerson. "Most JFKU faculty members also maintain their own practices in the subjects they teach, so you're confident they know what they're talking about. In their classes, you get the best of both worlds, academic knowledge and practical application."

For the 2006-2007 academic year, Tuckerson was one of two recipients of the Alice Walker Scholarship, awarded by JFKU's Diversity Affairs Committee to students of color who demonstrate personal growth and leadership through commitments to family, community, education, and/or work. In Tuckerson's essay for the competition, she focused on her three primary goals:

To reach children early in their lives and instill a sense of possibility, removing the word "can't" from their vocabularies.
To support those who find themselves homeless when life circumstances unexpectedly turn against them or who can benefit by learning from their bad choices.
To honor our elderly citizens by appreciating and learning from their wealth of knowledge. "My grandmother always said knowledge is power," says Tuckerson. "I want to help others tap that resource."

JFKU's positive learning environment encourages Tuckerson and her classmates to "live our values and passions and to accept others and celebrate our differences as well as our commonalities. This is truly a place where you can live in harmony, in mind, body, and spirit."

Faculty, staff, and students at JFKU demonstrate the importance of giving back to the community, and Tuckerson finds this a valuable way to apply what she learns in her classes. "I thoroughly enjoy JFKU's small class sizes, the diversity of peers and faculty, and the interactions that are possible when there are no more than 20 people in the group," she says.

In the summer of 2007, Tuckerson has found a new way to combine her undergraduate degree in liberal studies and English with her current focus in business management. Under the mentorship of Pat Lott, chair for JFKU's Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) program, Tuckerson will teach Writing Skills for Business.

David Borof, Graduate School of Professional Psychology

Borof's educational journey began with an undergraduate degree in social welfare and the idea to pursue a career in case management. He soon discovered that he much preferred people than paperwork and wanted to expand on his interest and aptitude for one-on-one counseling. After rising through the staff ranks at an adolescent treatment facility, Borof realized he needed an advanced degree to achieve his true goals. JFKU's solid reputation for clinical supervision through the Graduate School of Professional Psychology brought him into the program.

"JFKU's outstanding clinical opportunities and exceptional supervisors are well known in the Bay Area," says Borof. "Nearly all faculty and all of the clinical supervisors also have their own practice. Many have worked in the discipline for upwards of thirty years. To learn from people who are seasoned in the field makes a tremendous positive difference as I develop quality professional skills."

Borof cites his individual supervision sessions and his work at JFKU's Community Counseling Centers as some of the most valuable experiences in his program. As he directly provides service to clients, especially those of low or moderate means, Borof sees a great need for mental health professionals to address the challenges of people who may function in society but who still deal with significant mental health issues.

"I'm learning new perspectives, and when I use them to respectfully help those facing serious personal struggles, that's eye-opening and profound for both of us," says Borof. "As a developing professional, I feel better able to handle these intense situations because I'm collaborating with my clinical supervisors and peers throughout the case process. When I'm on my own in the future, I know I'll be able to provide good care."

While Borof was ready to jump right into the hands-on clinical work when he started the program, he recognizes the opening academic component is critical to success. "You must build that solid theoretical foundation so you're better able to access the value of the clinical supervision experience," he says. "You will draw on that background every time you're faced with a living human being who needs your help."

Robert 'Otto' Thorsen, School of Holistic Studies

“Inspiration is the key for me, whether I’m helping inspire others or seeking inspiration for my own work,” says Robert ‘Otto’ Thorsen ’09, Master of Fine Arts (MFA) student in Studio Arts. “And inspiration is what I found at JFKU. I came here sight unseen and, within six months, I knew it was the right decision.”

Thorsen’s journey to JFKU took some interesting turns. From his hometown in the small Philadelphia suburb of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, Thorsen traveled to Tucson, Arizona, eventually receiving an undergraduate degree in Studio Arts. While there, he worked at the Tucson Museum of Art under the guidance of Carolyn King, a JFKU alumnus, who encouraged him to look into MFA study in the Arts & Consciousness (A&C) Department.

Before setting foot on the Berkeley campus, Thorsen called JFKU and spoke with Karen Sjoholm, A&C faculty member in the School of Holistic Studies (SHS). Thorsen credits Sjoholm’s ability to listen and understand his personal and professional goals—and to convey the essence of the consciousness and spirituality components of the Studio Arts MFA program—for helping him make the decision to attend JFKU. “As we talked,” says Thorsen, “I felt her compassion and love for the program and students, and I wanted to be part of that kind of supportive environment for creating art that inspires.”

Now that he’s been a JFKU student for nearly two years, Thorsen also recognizes the value of his day-to-day interactions with a diverse group of faculty and peers who bring a multi-dimensional range of life experience, academic scholarship, and professional expertise to their work in the SHS classrooms and studios. “My colleagues are incredibly dedicated to pursuing their process. The inspiring part is that they’re willing to allow it to be witnessed by others. Every day, I learn more about myself and my work by seeing our transformation, watching how we’re all becoming more empowered to create our own art, and then take that ability and positive perspective into the world.”

In addition to his course work and creative exploration in the art studios at JFKU, Thorsen works two days a week at nearby Habitot Children’s Museum in Berkeley and puts videos of his artwork online at YouTube.com.

Thorsen chose JFKU because it was the only place where he felt he could mix his interest in consciousness and spirituality with his desire to create a serious body of positive postmodern artwork. After attending the February 2007 conference Holistic Approaches to Arts Education, sponsored by the School of Holistic Studies, Thorsen found a term he plans to use to describe his goal after graduation: while some might use the word “teacher,” Thorsen intends to become a “co-conspirator” who helps others discover their creativity and empower their growth.

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