Meet Jillian Juman | Head of School

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jillian Juman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jillian, what is the most important factor behind your success?
SEED LA is grounded in providing a 24-hour a day, 5 day per week college preparatory boarding school model that is of no charge to the community. We actively seek to dismantle systems that directly contributes to inequitable access to learning and provide an opportunity to provide accelerated and targeted learning fo each student. The commitment to serving students and families to and through college is relentless both as an organization and as a leader. The focus on the mission and who I am in service of are the key elements to what makes SEED successful and how I have experienced success in every role that I am in. It is crucial to me that I am involved with organizations that share the same commitments, beliefs, and mission which has developed partnerships that aim to lift up communities and what is most important to the systems that I have led and will continue to support. I continue to make impact and grow as a leader because of those that I work and partner with.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
SEED LA is the first public boarding school on the west coast and will be at no cost for residents of Los Angeles County. We are not just providing college preparatory learning but the full experience so that by the time students get to college they are prepared academically, emotionally, and socially for all that college brings. This opportunity will provide all students and particularly students who we have historically underserved a unique opportunity to receive all that they need to be successful in college and beyond. The second piece I would mention is that we are a non-traditional boarding school. Students will attend SEED LA 5 days and 5 nights per week and go home on weekends because we believe that family, friends, and community are important pieces of the learning. We pick students up on Sundays and ensure a safe drop off on Friday afternoons.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
LA is a terrific place. I cannot think of one neighborhood that I do not want to hang out in. I have to give it up to South LA and Inglewood – both are vibrant, full of culture, and have some of the kindest people around. You can pick up a roti to eat, enjoy a donut at Randy’s and/or a delicious taco. So much to see and experience.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so may people I can and should appreciate for where I am…my colleagues, family, my 5th grade teacher who was the first person who really saw my potential (thank you Ms. Martinez) but today I am lifting by bell hooks. The work of bell hooks spoke to me as an educator, a black woman, a feminist and a leader. She was profoundly important to me because she allowed me to bridge all of the pieces of my identity – to understand how they came together and worked to inform my learning and my work as a platform to lift up voices and celebrate community as a form of empowerment. It is my responsibility to deeply understand my experiences, share them, and advocate for others to do the same.

Website: www.seedschoolla.org

Instagram: @theseedschoolla

Linkedin: LINKEDIN.COM/COMPANY/SEEDLA

Twitter: THESEEDSCHOOLLA

Facebook: FACEBOOK.COM/THESEEDSCHOOLLA