GINNA NGUYEN
Staff Writer
Some may know Jenna Clapper by her smile. Others may have seen her familiar curly head sitting behind the tables of Amnesty International last year. She is the president of Pepperdine’s chapter, a member of the unofficial Girls Who Hate Running club, employee at the Housing office and intern at the California Wildlife Center. This recently married senior art major, who now goes by Jenna Lynn Staples, still has the same great smile.
Jenna, you are married to Dave Staples, whom you met before he graduated from Seaver College. He is currently on Pepperdine staff. How do you feel about student-staff relationships?
The more intimate the students get with the staff, the better. It worked for me.
What have been some landmarks of your past three years here?
Well, the typical, of course. Going overseas, meeting people of other cultures. Really just getting out there, hopping on trains and living off bread. Being in Amnesty International has taught me a lot about ways that I can bring concern for and support against social injustices. Hosting art parties with my fabulous friends and watching “Felicity” were also great times. Getting married was pretty big, I’d say.
Describe a weekend in the life of Jenna.
On Friday, we would get a bunch of people together and go to BJ’s Restaurant. Then we would watch an incredibly intellectual and artsy film, because we are incredibly intellectual and artsy people. On Saturday, we would go to yoga, hang out, maybe study, go to museums or sometimes a show and then to tap-dancing class with Dave. On Sunday, we would cook a wonderful vegetarian meal and then head to the drum circles in Venice at sunset.
What legacy would you like to leave behind at Pepperdine?
I wish to leave this school with some more hoo-ha. We don’t really act like college students here. It’s especially strange in a Christian school. Christianity is so radical, but here that’s not as noticeable. I would like to see this place be a bit wackier.
What do you think is the biggest social issue of our time?
I think the biggest issue is inaction. We have all these resources to know about the social concerns going on in our world, but we either do nothing or ignore them. Our generation has a lot to offer, but we suffer our society with our inaction.
Where does your compassion and active concern for social and environmental injustices come from?
I think my passion for human rights and environmental concerns comes from my interpretation of Christianity. To me, it is pretty evident that Jesus calls for a life of radical justice by showing love to all of His creations. To do this, for me anyways, I have to find out what is happening in our world and do whatever I can to help it. In addition, I do not feel like Jesus would have condoned waste or materialism, seeing the toll it takes on our fragile ecosystem and knowing the extreme poverty that some people live in. So, because of my faith, those are two areas that I am working to improve in my life.
Any random facts that we should know or parting words of wisdom?
I wear a size 11 shoe. I am afraid of grasshoppers, so please do not mail me any. Soy has great health benefits. If I could have dinner with any two people, it would be Dave and Jesus, because we could have fun. As for words of wisdom, I guess I would say keep one eye on the road and one eye on the Man.
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