Feb. 26, 2005

San Diego Women's Tennis Head Coach Sherri Stephens freely admits that junior Jenny Brown is the most athletic player on this year's squad and the native of Medford, Oregon has the credentials to prove it. Not only did the 5-7 right-hander capture the Oregon Class 2A Tennis Singles title as a junior in high school, but she also ran to the top of the podium at the Oregon State Class 4A Cross Country meet the same year. Though she is only playing tennis at San Diego, she has nonetheless made a huge impact on the program. Coming off of a back injury that kept her out of the Fall Season, Brown is nearly at full strength and currently occupies the No. 6 spot in singles and shares the No. 1 doubles position with senior Lauren Kazarian. Before San Diego hosted Furman University on February 27, the Diversified Liberal Arts major sat down with Roland Hu for a Q & A session.

1. How did you spend your summer?

My summer... wow. Well, I went to Peru for two months. I lived in a convent with seven nuns. I helped out at a school there.

Were you teaching English or...

No, I was doing a lot of helping out in the classroom, correcting papers, helping the kids out with their work at school. I was just basically helping out the teacher and getting to know the kids a lot. I worked with elementary kids as well as high school kids. I got to work with all kinds of kids and it was really neat. I helped the teacher teach English, but I wasn't actually the teacher.

Was this program through USD or through your hometown?

It was a program that one of my neighbors from back home recommended. She went to high school with the head nun in Venezuela and I just wanted to find some country where I could go work on my Spanish and work at a school. My neighbor recommended that I get in contact with her friend and that's how I ended up where I was this summer.

What was it like living with seven nuns?

Well, it was quite the experience! It was very... I don't know how to explain it. I just loved the experienced. Overall, all the nuns were very neat women. They all are from a different part of the world and their ages varied from 30 to 75 years old. It was just neat getting to know them and living in that type of lifestyle.

Is that a lifestyle you envision for yourself in the future?

Ahh... no. I don't want to be a nun necessarily, but I do want to be a teacher. The experience was great and I really want to go work in some third-world country or developing country and teach.

So obviously, some people might look at going to Peru as a vacation in itself, but did you go on vacation with either family or friends before or after Peru?

Well, my parents came down to Peru for a week at the end of my trip and I was able to travel around some beautiful places like Machu Picchu and all around the country there. My time in the convent... I didn't see it necessarily as a vacation. It was an extremely rough lifestyle. The while area I was living in was a complete slum. All kids were impoverished and the working conditions were worse than you could ever imagine. Being the only blue-eyed blonde that looks like a giant compared to everyone else, it was quite the experience in itself! Learning to adapt to their language and not being able to really talk to anyone in the beginning was also something I had never done before. I found myself in a lot of situations in which I never thought I would be in and it was a really neat thing to learn from. So yeah... going back to answering your question, I went to Lake Shasta with my family. We always go up thee for a few days and going to the river and lakes up there. I'm from Oregon, so I like to do all of that during the summer when I go home.

2. So already mentioned that you wanted to be a teacher. However, after you graduate from USD, what would your dream job be, aside from teaching?

Since I was little, I've always known what I've wanted to do. Most likely, I'm going to go to another third world country and teach kind of in the same conditions that I lived in when I was in Peru. And that's something I really want to do once I get my teaching credentials.

Where will you get your teaching credentials? Back in Oregon or here in California?

Here at USD.

What is your major at USD?

It is Diversified Liberal Arts. It's pretty much an Education major with an emphasis on Spanish. So I'll be going into the bilingual program?

3. So what do you think of Valentine's Day: a true day of romance or just another Hallmark holiday?

I would say... to me, when you have a significant other, it is a day of romance. But for those who don't have someone, I still think it is a fun day to just go out with your friends and stuff.

What did you during this past Valentine's Day?

I actually was with my boyfriend and basically I didn't know what we were doing, but I had to get all dressed up. We went on one of the harbor cruises during the day and had dinner and stuff there. It was really, really fun.

What is the most romantic thing anyone has done for you?

Wow... hmmm... Let me see here. I don't know. There have been quite a few that my boyfriend has done! One of them was just a really neat gift he gave me. I had a really tough match and he took a really cool picture of me during the match. He wrote kind of a poem thing that he put on top of the picture, describing what happened during the match, what went on, what I overcome during the match and how I had preserved. It was a really, really cool that he put that together. That right there has meant so much to me. That's one of [my favorite romantic things], for sure! Do you want anymore examples?

Nah, that's ok.

Anything with surprises! I love being surprised. I love not knowing what in the world I am doing. So anything like that is awesome to me.

4. So you're a state champion in both cross-country and tennis. Is there anything athletically you haven't already won?

Oh no... growing up, I focused on soccer, running and tennis. But once I got to high school, I decided I needed to choose which one I wanted to do and that's when I chose tennis. I love all sports though. After I get out of college, I might pursue running again to see what I can do.

How did you get back into cross-country then if you chose tennis?

Well, I got back into because I had wrist surgery and I couldn't play for a while. It was during cross-country season and my cross-country coach really wanted me to go running. So I was like, "Ok, I'll go running!" But it was already during the middle of the season and I ran a couple of meets and I just did district and state. That was just during my wrist surgery time when I couldn't play tennis.

What year did you win the state cross-country title?

My junior year.

So why did you decide not to defend your title your senior year?

Because I was doing tennis at the time. I was trying to do track my senior year, but I ended up getting shin splits, so I had to stop.

Yeah, I think I read somewhere that you didn't play tennis your senior year and defend your tennis championship.

Right. I wanted to do track and see what I could do. But I ended up getting shin splints.

Did you end up going back to tennis at that point?

I had to take a break from everything for a while and then I slowly worked myself back into tennis. I really haven't run since, only conditioning here at school.

What were your favorite events to run?

Let's see... the 400, 800, and 1,500.

Which state title did you find more fulfilling to win?

Definitely the tennis one. It was one that I had been going for for a couple of years. It was something that I always wanted to do as a kid, win the state title in tennis. I never had it as one of my goals or dreams to win the state title in cross-country. It was just something I was doing in my spare time or something like that, I don't even know! I love running, so that was something fun for me, but tennis... it just means so much to me.

So I guess you had a bunch of full-time runners who were pretty jealous of you, huh?

Ha-ha... I don't know about that!

Well, I mean cross-country for you was just a hobby and you ended up winning the state title...

Yeah... I don't know! I don't know... I just love getting out there to run.

5. Where is your favorite place to shop for clothes?

Anywhere that has a sale and anywhere that most people don't usually shop.

So I guess your not a Gap Girl?

No. I like to find clothes that no one else has. I also like to get sales clothes.

What type of clothes do you like to wear? Shorts, skirts, dresses...?

Well, during the week, like in school and going to classes, I'm definitely supporting the sweats. And if I go out at all at night, I like to wear dressy pants and a cute funky top. And I love hats.

6. What CD are you embarrassed to admit that you own?

I don't know. I wouldn't really be embarrassed to admit anything that I own. I just don't care! I have a little bit of everything.

What CD are you currently listening to?

I have a country mix on.

Who is your favorite country music artist?

Let's see here... Garth Brooks is right up there. Rascal Flatts, Shania Twain are some of my favorites.

What about the Dixie Chicks?

They are alright. Their voices are a little annoying after a while. They are alright though.

7. What is best restaurant you have been to while in San Diego?

Wow, that's a hard question to answer! I really, really love food! It depends. I love Mexican food. I love In-N-Out and Islands for burgers. So I'd have to go with Mexican food, In-N-Out, and Islands.

So after being on your own for three years, can you cook?

Yeah, I've been able to cook before I got to school. My mom trained me ever since I was younger.

What did she train you to cook?

Mostly deserts, just because I've had more practice at it. Any type of cakes, pies and those types of stuff.

What desert is Jenny Brown most famous for making?

I make an Angel Food Cake with chocolate whipped cream frosting and Heath Bar decorated on top of it. It's amazing. I have it every year for my birthday.

8. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

I would want to fly because I think flying is the most awesome thing ever. I'd want to go travel everywhere and I wouldn't have to take cars or anything. I could just go whenever I wanted to and just being free like that would be awesome.

Do you think you would be like Supergirl and have a big "J" on your shirt with a cape to match?

Ha-ha... no! NO, no no!

So you'd be a little bit more discrete about your ability to fly?

Yes, definitely!