This content was published: November 13, 2006. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Q&A: Jasmin Kahn says PCC is a great place to study
Photos and Story by James Hill
Jasmin Kahn grew up in the Bay Area and spent three years whizzing around the streets of San Francisco as a bike messenger before landing in Portland in 1998. She took classes at the Sylvania campus and then transferred to Reed College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in religion. Just finishing her first year as a law student at Rutgers University in New Jersey, the 27-year-old was an intern this past summer for the Public Defender’s Office in Newark.
- Q. Why did you choose PCC?
- A. I moved to the Northwest and the logical place for me to start my education was at a community college. It was a great place to study. I think I was bored intellectually in high school and at PCC there were lots of great classroom discussions.
- Q. What classes did you take?
- A. Writing, literature, sociology, chemistry and math. I looked for classes that would satisfy prerequisites for Reed.
- Q. What faculty members stand out in your mind?
- A. Jan Abushakrah in sociology is incredible. She’s an activist who’s very warm and she cares about what she’s doing. Through her class I felt I became aware of things in the world and that was stimulating. I also remember Sharon Anthony in writing and literature who passed away a few years ago. She was a really warm, elegant person and a nice person to teach literature. She liked what she was doing and she was very available and encouraging.
- Q. What was your favorite part of the campus?
- A. The library.
- Q. What did you do in between classes?
- A. I studied in the library and also worked at the Writing Center.
- Q. Why did you choose Rutgers?
- A. I was offered a scholarship to Rutgers and I have family on the East Coast. It’s been a nice change as the area is culturally aggressive. I think I do better in a fast-paced environment.
- Q. What is your best memory of PCC?
- A. It was a safe place. Nothing was pretentious. I was honestly there to learn and I got the most out of my classes. I worked really hard. I loved PCC.
Related Pages:
PCC Library, University Transfer
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »