It was a normal day for Jacki Scott when she was doing homework in the Math/Computer Information Science (MCIS) when she regularly saw Mohaddisa Naqvi, the ASCC president.

One of those days, however, a lady needed help finding a room on campus and Scott walked her to that part of campus while she asked Mohaddisa to watch her stuff.

“When I came back, Mohaddisa said ‘We need more people like you in student government’ and it was a shock because I didn’t even notice that, Scott said with enthusiasm.

“Just meeting her and having her invite me really steamrolled my career here at student government.”

Scott then became part of the ASCC cabinet as the Director of Student Activities and said Naqvi has been nothing but supportive, “I know I can count on her [… and] she’s someone to look up to and I’m happy she’s a part of my life and I’m so glad she was there so I can join.”

During her high school years at Gahr, after transferring out of Valley Christian, she went on the cheer team but wasn’t ambitious and didn’t think she’d go to college.

Her mother put Scott in gymnastics then moved to cheer in 2nd grade and cheered ever since, but considered it as a blast, “I might be retired,” she said with a smile.

However, she mentions having depression and having problems at home during high school, “I think everyone was concerned for me and my mental health and I felt like I was in a different reality and I just wasn’t really here.”

She pointed to an instance when she was working at Wingstop at the time, her mother asked what she wanted to do and Scott replied that she didn’t want to go to college and do anything.

“So she said, ‘So you’re just going to work at Wingstop for the rest of your life?’ and I said no but she asked, ‘What are you going to do?’ and I said I never thought about it,” the student trustee explained.

Trustee Scott said that those conversations, “forced her out of her shell and out of my cocoon I had formed around myself” by forcing her to look at the world and what she wants to do in her life.

What got her thinking about community college was her family pushing her to want the best for her, “I didn’t have a plan at all so seeing that with talks with my mom, grandfather and aunties really put into perspective that I didn’t have a plan.”

“Going to Cerritos has given me a second chance at another opportunity in life,” she said, “I fell in love with Cerritos and I’m so glad that I came.”

The new trustee said what keeps her happy and jovial is hope, “I really can’t explain this feeling that I got but I felt hopeful for my future and that was something that I lacked.

“I did not think about anything outside of the present and the past and not being able to see something that I could do on my own that can get me out of my situation was keeping me stuck.”

What also helped was her faith in Christianity for all her life, “I would write bible verses on note cards and whenever I felt anxious or depressed, I would keep it right by me and read them and it gave me some comfort.”

She mentions going outside and cooking as some of her hobbies, “Doing things I dreamed about doing but didn’t do so fun things and just getting to know myself and building a different relationship with myself.”

“I’m just a regular girl, I’m a student just like you guys and I’m just a regular person here to learn […] and do what’s best for everyone, Scott said.

I would love it if people reached out, followed me and if they were just honest and sincere with their beliefs so I can practice that and get things done around here,” Scott concludes.

Follow the new student trustees’ Instagram to learn more about her and follow her journey