The SEGway News Issue 42, 3 August 2017 | Page 4

August 3 , 2017 The SEGway News Page 3

Jessica Dickerson : Upland will always be home

by Mikayla Marazzi

Jessica Dickerson recounts her idyllic childhood , growing up in Upland . She remembers trips to the video store with her mom , or walking to the gas station to get polar pops with friends . Jessica is grateful that she could experience the warmth and comfort of a small town .

Jessica ’ s family moved to Upland when she was just 2 years old , and though she lived in a few different houses , she spent the most time growing up right outside of Taylor University . The university was just another public space to her , an expanse of greenery and building that offered a place to play or pass through .

After her high school graduation , Jessica decided to attend Indiana Wesleyan University . She wanted to put distance between herself and her childhood hometown but at the same time retain the option of being able to easily return home . Jessica saw her proximity to home as a privilege . “ Not everyone gets the benefit of being so close to family for so long ,” she expresses . And now , as her parents are currently in the process of moving to Denver , she is grateful that she took advantage of the opportunity to spend time with them when she could .

Further , she recognizes that not everyone is able to have a close relationship with their parents nor a positive home to go back to — which she observed acutely during her time of traveling abroad to Peru . During her time in there , and after returning back to America , she encountered an abundance of stories from migrant students and families and she grew compassionate for those who were trying to learn the English language in the midst of also trying to learn science and math . Thus , after her time in Peru , she changed her major to TESOL ( Teaching English As a Second Language ), as she had become passionate about language and its connection to the education system .

Jessica graduated from IWU this past December , with two degrees in TES- OL Education and Elementary Education ; she also got married last summer , to fellow IWU graduate Jake Dickerson . They now live in Marion , Jake working for General Motors and Jessica working for Indiana Migrant Education Program and The Abbey Coffee Co .

Working as a tutor for the Indiana Migrant Education Program allows Jessica to continue connecting with migrant students , aiding them with both language and educational development . She loves being able to work in one-on-one settings with students , as she

“ I ’ m super passionate about students who are falling through the cracks ,” Jessica explains . She wants to continue exploring various facets of education because she believes that there is a myriad of ways to encounter students . “ I don ’ t want to pigeonhole what education can look like .”

can give her students more intentional and specialized attention .

Jessica is attentive to the complexity and abnormality of most of her students ’ situations . All her students meet the definition of migrant : people whose lives are in constant motion , never located anywhere longer than 2 years at a time . Many of her students , for example , must spend their day working the fields and then spend their evening hours learning the language or completing the coursework for their GED . “ It ’ s about so much more than language ,” she says , “ it ’ s about how to navigate cultural differences and family structures .

“ I ’ m super passionate about students who are falling through the cracks ,” Jessica explains . She wants to continue exploring various facets of education , because she believes that there is a myriad of ways to encounter students . “ I don ’ t want to pigeonhole what education can look like ,” she says , “ and I think it could look like a lot of different things .”

Having moved to Marion now — though Upland and Marion are only separated by 15 miles — Jessica does find the experience of living in this new city surprisingly different . When moving to Marion , she had expected to run into familiar faces in the gas station or post office , as she did in Upland . Instead , she discovered that she had to be more intentional with her friendships and interactions with the community . As her friends were no longer just a 5-minute drive away , she had to become more strategic . Now , living in a town that she didn ’ t grow up in , she notices the absence of memories attached to it . Adversely , when she returns to Upland , she feels very nostalgic , passing by houses where her friends once lived or driving past trails where she once road her bike .

Jessica describes how

people who aren ’ t familiar with Grant County associate Marion and Upland together , as if the two cities are one in the same . “ Once you are from Upland though ,” she explains , “ you feel a pride for it , because it ’ s different from Marion — more familiar , small , and closely knit .” Whenever she returns to Upland , everyone asks about the wellbeing of her entire family , not just her as an individual . Jessica loves that her community knows her holistically , in relation to the rest of her family and her community . “ The whole neighbourhood raises you ,” she explains . “ Upland will always be home ; it is the place with my most formative memories .”

Fall Dance registration : August 5th 11 am-2 pm and 5-8 pm at 7 East Washington St . Upland

Offering : Open Acro , Creative , Pre-Ballet , Ballet , Tap , Jazz , Hip-Hop , Lyrical , Contemporary , Adult move , more

in The Pink Building • 765-998-2909 Ask for Sandra Shipley