Jenny Heilborn, Instructor & Advocate

Jenny Heilborn stands in awe of her students. She loves working with them. She is proud of their achievements.

Her admiration is one of the first items on the syllabus she hands to each student. It reads,

“I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to teach and learn with students who are juggling what each of you are: other jobs, families, and BSC all at the same time. I admire your dedication and drive! My goal is to support you so that you can be successful through your academic and professional careers.”

Heilborn teaches psychology, sociology and health and human services courses. The wide spectrum of classes means she meets students facing various circumstances.

“It’s fun to get a big variety of students who all have different passions all coming from different backgrounds,” Heilborn said. “Our students are juggling so much. It’s neat to see them succeed.”

Heilborn comes to Bryant & Stratton from the University of Richmond, in Virginia, where she earned an M.A. in research and statistics psychology. Prior to that she attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, and earned degrees in English and Psychology.

In addition to her instructor duties, Heilborn works tirelessly as a Disability Rights Advocate at The Disability Law Center of Virginia. There, advocates work with schools, neighborhoods and government agencies to make sure children with mental illness are receiving the services they need to be stable in their community.

She explained that many of the children she assists are at a higher risk of being neglected or abused by the system. Her federally funded office is tasked with making sure disabled children are being given equal access to programs.

“These kids are awesome. A lot of them are wards of the state and don’t have parents fighting for them in schools or for their mental health care,” Heilborn said. “Those kids are more likely to slip through the cracks. It is amazing what they go through and are still resilient.”

After hours, Heilborn said she is an avid runner.

“I’m not a race runner, I just do it for stress relief,” she said. “Getting outside and getting exercise it has lots of good benefits.