A Bio (Biography)

     Upon graduation with a BA in communication from Biola University in La Mirada, CA in 1984, David “Scott” Jenison was married and began a 12-year career as a linguist/translator with the Summer Institute of Linguistics in Indonesia. For nine of those years Scott and Priscilla were assigned to a tiny (110-population) village of Obokuí in north central Papua, Indonesia where they studied the tonal language (Obokuitaí Ati) and culture; created a phonology, orthography, and grammar; conducted a literacy program; created a variety of community development projects; and translated and recorded literature into the vernacular, as well as into two adjacent dialects. Early on in Indonesia Scott began to see the high demand for English while assigned to teach a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) course through Cenderawasih University in Abepura Indonesia.

     In 1991 and 1992 Scott returned on furlough to Biola University to complete an MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). In 1996 Scott, Priscilla, and their four children returned permanently to the United States. From 1996 to 1999 Scott was the ESL Department Chair and ESL teacher for secondary level international students at Monte Vista Christian School in Watsonville, CA. From 1999 to 2002, he worked as the Student Services Coordinator and taught ESL to college-aged international students at the American Culture and Language Program at California State University, Los Angeles. Since 2002 Scott, as the ESL Coordinator and Department Chair, has taught ESL to adult immigrant and international students at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, CA.

     Scott and wife Priscilla, who both are now full-time tenured ESL professors at AVC, have thoroughly enjoyed sharing in their careers of serving and teaching students from all over the world!

      My family and I have lived in many places for at least a month. This growing list includes: California, Washington, Texas, Mexico, Indonesia, and China. We love sports, music, and getting together with family and friends. I have taught English and ESL at the secondary and post-secondary levels. My students are wonderful because they are so motivated to learn English!

      Currently my wife and I thoroughly enjoy teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) to many wonderful, diligent students at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, CA.

Priscilla Jenison and Scott Jenison - ESL Instructors

Our Family (Left to Right): Josiah & Nikki, Emily & Jordan, Salem, Scott & Priscilla, and Seth

My Extended Family: http://avconline.avc.edu/faculty/sjenison/ExtendedFAm.htm