Aug 3, 2020
Twenty
years ago, Jennifer Jungwirth was just wrapping up her college
education when she got a call to interview for a teaching position
in Baker, CA. Then, the Morongo Valley Unified School District
called. Jennifer came out to Yucca Valley and after 45 minutes of
what Jennifer assumed was just friendly, casual conversation, the
folks at YYHS offered her the job - and she accepted. This was
Jennifer's first experience with desert.
In
this episode, Jennifer says her friends thought it was 'cool' that
she was moving to California, though Jennifer had not let on that
she was moving to the Mojave Desert.
Of her first years in the desert, Jennifer admits, "I
didn't get out much. I kept my head down honing my teaching
craft".
Eventually adopting a dog, Jennifer started to
make her way into the national park and then slowly became a
faculty advisor to a number of clubs at YVHS, like ’S’ club –
(Soroptimists), AVID
(Advancement Via Individual Determination) and Gay Straight
Alliance True Colors. She also joined in community service with the
Morongo Basin Humane Society – no-kill animal shelter – leading her
to develop their dog-walking program. After attending a meeting of
Transition Joshua Tree and hearing about community gardening, she
became involved with their monthly Community no-waste dinner and
food program - currently on hiatus due to the Covid
pandemic.
Jennifer admits there were a few times early in
her career at YVHS she considered moving on from the desert. Now,
20 years later, Jennifer says she has learned to appreciate the
desert's subtle seasonal changes and though she enjoys leaving the
desert to travel to faraway places, she says, "it always calls me
back".