Teacher Spotlight: Janine Gerzanics & Exploring the World By Yaoci Gamboa

Janine Gerzanics is an English professor here at West Valley. She teaches various classes, such as English 1A and 1B, English Literature, and World Literature. I interviewed her in the Fall semester to learn more about her educational journey and career path, which I hope to share with students as inspiration for the opportunities ahead of them.

Professor Gerzanics got her first bachelor's degree at Lancaster University, with a major in religion and philosophy and a minor in English. She traveled to India for a couple of months to research religion as part of her degree. She later attained her postgraduate degree at Westminster College, where she minored in sports, an interest she had held since childhood. Professor Gerzanics entered the teaching discipline with her first job as head of religious studies. She achieved her dream of being a physical education teacher while instructing sports at a top all-boys school. However, her main focus was teaching the religious and philosophy entrance exams to Oxford and Cambridge. Professor Gerzanics was a teacher at St. Stephen's College in Hong Kong until she moved to the U.S., where she got her Master's degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina. Upon moving to Miami, she taught at Florida International University. It was here she gained an understanding: “I realized the best place for me to teach was university.” So she moved to California, receiving her Master's degree in English Literature at Loyola Marymount and Ph.D. at the University of Southern California, eventually teaching at both schools. While attending an academic job fair, she discovered West Valley's job offering. She applied and received the job due to her qualifications of having both a master's in journalism and English literature.

When asked about her motivation for becoming a teacher, she said she always loved teaching as a child, giving lessons to her teddy bears. She stated, “I loved explaining things.” Growing up with a mother who was an avid reader, she was exposed to various texts throughout her childhood. She developed an interest in juxtaposing history and literature. She specifically delved into Renaissance and Medieval literature in her higher education, which she focused on in her Ph.D. Professor Gerzanics explains she “liked researching strange things,” exploring specific topics like Venice Preserve by Thomas Otway and the books of death, while also delving into genres such as postcolonial. After her first degree, she transitioned to literature and completed a two-year self-study program: “I was probably obsessed… I had this study and put a timeline all the way around my room of all the different, most important time periods in literature and the books from those periods.” 

Professor Gerzanics has been teaching at West Valley College for twenty-three years. Throughout her time here, she advised the reading, international, and debating clubs, among others, and previously participated in global studies. She helped foster journalism through the Norseman class, which held an active presence on campus. They participated in the Journalism Association of Community Colleges’ newspaper competitions and established the West Valley magazine. As she concludes, “It was very hard work but it was great fun and a great time period for West Valley.” 

Professor Gerzanics gained teaching experience at various schools, traveled abroad for research, and explored her diverse interests in her research in higher education. After hearing her story, I hope students will get to know their teachers to gain advice and take advantage of the opportunities available to them  (like international studying) while feeling  inspired for their own future academic and career endeavors.