Jill Heffron

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Jill Heffron has been the Study Abroad Coordinator at CCSF for over 20 years, and she has no idea where the time has gone! Prior to working for CCSF, she spent a year studying in France, a semester in China, and a summer in Mexico. She also taught ESL in Spain, where she loved her students, but had a boss who was the definition of "loca".

What is your favorite travel memory?

About ten years ago I had the opportunity to travel with a group of Brits, Scots, and Aussies to Morocco. I loved both the country of Morocco and the group I traveled with. One of my favorite memories of the trip was riding a camel in the desert and then eating dinner in tents under the stars. Another was going to a restaurant so hidden in the mountains that we had to leave the bus behind and hike the rest of the way in the pitch dark. The chef was not expecting such a large group, and the food took forever to cook, but the restaurant owner's friends appeared out of nowhere and spent the evening playing live music and dancing with us to keep us entertained.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

My life has changed so much! I've gone from thinking of myself as a well-traveled, slightly older sister, to being the same age as my students' parents. This has definitely given me a different perspective and helped to relate to both my students who are excited about going abroad, and to their parents, who have concerns about having their son or daughter so far from home.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

There are so many. My students have met their future spouses abroad, changed their majors and their life directions, or found a job and stayed overseas after studying abroad. One of my favorites though is the student who refused to speak a word of Spanish with me before going abroad, but when I went to visit a month later, she wanted to speak only Spanish and refused to speak a word of English!

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

That's tough! I would love to go on our summer study abroad program to Cuba, because the instructor is amazing and has deep ties to Cuba, particularly in the world of music. If I could get a full semester off though, I would sign up for our Semester in Rome and Florence. I love Italy, the food the culture, the art, architecture and way of life. The language is so beautiful. I studied it at CCSF for two years and my dream is to spend enough time in Italy to become conversant...

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

I am my team! Working at a Community College means you are chief cook and bottle washer, receptionist, hostess, waitress and bartender! I am lucky to have wonderful student workers who help me with the day-to-day administrative work, and their enthusiasm and ideas, but keeping the program going despite budget cuts, administrative changes, problems with the economy and issues overseas all fall to me. No matter what, I still believe in the power of studying abroad to change people's lives, build bridges, and expand both our own horizons and those of the friends we make along the way.