Submitted by Current and Former Students, Faculty, and Staff
I had the privilege of attending the Social Work Alumni Group Annual Award Ceremony in Spring of 2009. Dr. Jillian Jimenez was the key note speaker of the night. I remember the energy and passion behind her words, the conviction and confidence of her message, and the optimism she instilled in us all. Her speech made me realize once again the reasons why I chose social work. She gave me hope for a brighter tomorrow. She taught me so much during her brief speech. Even though I never had the honor of sitting in her class, her speech that night is one of the most memorable experiences I have had at CSULB.
( David Moreno)
Dr. Jillian Jimenez impacted my life as a social worker in many different ways. My first initial interaction with Dr. Jimenez was when I took Women Studies in 1999 or 2000. I honestly (initially) took this class to get it out of the way because I felt stress about school, work, internship and life in general. Dr. Jimenez made this class very interesting to me. The discussions that came out of the class and her view of life as a woman and as a social worker was very fascinating. I often stopped to talk to her when ever I visited the school and I greatly regret not visiting recently. I remember the welcoming smile she always gave me and her warm and wise words of encouragement and support she gave when ever I stopped by to say hello. I will always remember her and keep her memories in my heart. With love,
(Marisol Zobler, aka Marsiol Torres, class of 2002)
Dr. Jimenez was an incredible teacher. I feel very fortunate to have had the pleasure to know her and learn from her. She had amazing charisma, knowledge, and drive. She has been a great motivation and inspiration and she will be missed.
( Karen Leal)
I had Jillian my first semester and initially I was so intimidated by her brilliance and how fast she spoke. As the semester went on, her policy class was the only class I was actively looking forward to. The subject itself is pretty dry to me, but Jillian brought so much energy, passion, and life into the subject that the class became fun and interesting. One day, I had hit a wall writing my portion of our group term paper (I felt like I had written all I could on the matter) and I came up short on the page requirement. I brought this to her on the day it was due and told her what was going on. I was so nervous and a little afraid of what the consequences were going to be for turning in incomplete work (which I never have before), and she was so amazing about it. Not only did she give me an extension but she gave me some points that I could further research and then write about. Dr. Jillian Jimenez was an incredible teacher and she leaves behind quite a legacy through her work and through her students. I will miss her.
(Vincent Nguyen)
Dr. Jimenez was no doubt a wonderful person filled with knowledge; however, what I valued about her even more so was her extraordinary heart. I worked with her for many years on my Thesis due to personal reasons. She had the patience and wisdom to assist me to complete my thesis this term. Without her love for teaching and guidance, there is no way that I would have been able to complete the MSW program. This is truly a great loss to the Department, the students and the community at large.
(Rene Frescas)
Dr. Jimenez was one of the best professors I have ever encountered, definitely the one who made me laugh the most. I looked forward to going to her class each week, which says it all J I admire her passion, intelligence, and her originality. She made an impact on my life in a short time and I feel truly lucky to have met her. I will think of her whenever I think about my experience in graduate school and whenever I see the cats at the top of the hill that she used to feed. Which to me displays what a compassionate and loving person she was. How wonderful to be and do the thing you are brilliant at and which you enjoy. Teaching absolutely was her calling and any student who was blessed enough to have been taught from her knows she had a gift for helping students learn, but more importantly enjoy learning. (Francy Jenko)
