Hollister
– Jennifer Armenta is a woman who has worn a lot of hats. Over
the years she has worked in the fields of corrections, hospitality,
education and even religion, but says raising her three children is
still her greatest achievement.
Hollister – Jennifer Armenta is a woman who has worn a lot of hats. Over the years she has worked in the fields of corrections, hospitality, education and even religion, but says raising her three children is still her greatest achievement.
“I’ve raised three tremendous people, almost single-handedly,” she said. “What could possibly be better than that?”
Armenta was raised in the Mountain View area, the oldest of four children and the only female to boot.
“That sort of made me junior mom,” she said. “My mom’s always said that she’s amazed I even wanted kids of my own after how much responsibility I took for my brothers.”
In high school Armenta played varsity tennis for three years and, after attending community college, attended the University of Oklahoma.
“I used to go visit this guy I knew out there, and I fell in love with how charming the school was,” she said. “It was all beautiful brick buildings, and they had a huge Greek system.”
Armenta quickly acclimated to college life and is still close to many of her sorority sisters, although the move to the Midwest was a bit of a culture shock at first.
“Everybody thought for sure that I had to be blonde and a surfer girl, and they were really disappointed that I didn’t know any movie stars,” she said. “And they didn’t even know what to do with a Catholic.”
After college, Armenta moved back to California and took a job working for the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office. She stayed in the corrections field and later worked for the Immaculate Conception Church in Tres Pinos, eventually taking on the task of full-time mom, and became extensively involved as a volunteer at her children’s school and with Los Madres, a moms and kids support chair.
Sadly, Armenta lost her son Adam in 1989, just 10 days after he was born, to a rare heart condition.
“It’s one of those things you never get over. You just learn how to deal with it little by little,” she said. “It’s devastating; there’s just no words to describe it.”
Later she volunteered to teach art at Southside School, which her two daughters, Amy and Molly, were attending, a decision she said came naturally.
“My dad was a teacher, and he’s this very creative guy – he’s an actor and has been in commercials and a Wes Craven film,” she said. “And I’ve always been taking care of my family, so teaching was just sort of an extension of that.”
This lead to a further interest in education on Armenta’s part, and she decided to become a resource specialist with the Hollister School District, working with students who need a little extra help with their reading and math.
“The best part of the job is being around when a kid gets it, and that light bulb goes off in their brain,” she said. “But they don’t all come from a level playing field, and it can be a challenge making sure they’re doing OK.”
While she’s working with students as a private tutor over the summer, Armenta plans on going back to school and finishing her teaching credential, although she isn’t sure whether she’d like to keep working with small groups or take on a classroom of her own.
“I like working in both situations,” she said. “I just think it’s the best thing for me to do, because we’re (educators are) the first line of the defense. We’re all the villagers who have to help raise that child. I think that’s the truth.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
