Meet Jeanette Gommel

Jeanette Gommel started working in the Sigma Tau Delta/NEHS Central Office in December 2022. She was retired for four years, but to her surprise she missed working. She has an undergraduate degree in Biology from University of Illinois and a Master of Public Health degree from Northern Illinois University. Jeanette was always more motivated to study a particular subject because it was interesting to her rather than because it would qualify her for a certain job, but to her surprise she did end her previous career in a job that used both degrees.

1. I chose to become an English Major because: I am not an English Major, my degrees are in Biology and Public Health.
2. My favorite part of being an English Major is: While I am not an English major, I do believe that the study of English can teach us how to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences and in many different platforms. The study of English Literature can help us understand ourselves and our world—cultures, history, politics—in ways far beyond what we can experience in our own daily lives. The body of literature in this world is one of mankind’s greatest treasures.
3. The last book I read was South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber.
4. My favorite book series is The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin.
5. A book character I identify with is Tenar in Tehanu and The Other Wind by Ursula Le Guin.
6. The last book I bought was South of the Buttonwood Tree, and I have read it.
7. My favorite book to movie adaptation is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
8. I’m more of a reader than a writer.
9. My favorite style of writing is magical realism.
10. My go-to children’s book is any of the Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer.
11. My favorite childhood memory is playing in the woods around my home with my brother Stan.
12. Growing up, I was sure I would be:I really never had any concrete ideas on this!
13. My first job was detasseling corn.
14. My dream job is being a famous and well paid (!) public speaker.
15. I like to spend my free time gardening.
16. The destination at the top of my travel bucket list is South Carolina coastal area.
17. The literary place I’d most like to visit is Dublin, Ireland.
18. If I could move anywhere in the world, I’d live in rural England.
19. If I was stranded on a desert island, the three things I would bring with me are my husband, my dog, and a pillow.
    
20. The one song I could listen to on repeat is “Carried Away” sung by Shawn Mendes.
    
21. The best gift I ever received was seed for my prairie patch at home.
    
22. The best gift I’ve ever given is plants to my sister for her flower beds.
23. If you find me in the kitchen, I’m typically whipping up a fruit and yogurt smoothie.
24. If I could try any food from a book or series, it would be any of the seafood in Dorothea Benton Frank‘s novels.
25. The author (dead or alive) I’d most like to spend a day with is Judith Viorst, I think she would be fun to have lunch with.