Jenée Peevy, MSW, is nothing but determined. She was born in Los Angeles but has lived in San Diego County since age 3. She has been on her own since the age 15, and had to drop out of high school to have her first child. Jenée never gave up her aspirations to continue with school. She went to a continuing education center and obtained her high school diploma and immediately went to City College with her young son and received her Associate’s degree in Business Administration, Financial Accounting. After completing her this degree, Jenée wanted to do more in the community and work with at-risk teens like herself. She returned to school in order to accomplish this. Jenée received her Bachelors in Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology from SDSU, and went on to receive her MSW with a focus on children, youth, and families and social work administration. While enrolled in our 3-year MSW program, Jenée was very active at SDSU. She was a graduate assistant for several professors, President of the Ethnic Mentoring Undergraduate (EMU) Program, and one of the founders of the Black Social Work Student Caucus. She also won the SDSU Quest for the Best award, which recognizes outstanding student leaders. Jenée really spread her wings during her MSW program, and felt very connected to the campus and the community. She was busy in her personal life during this time as well – she got married and had 3 children while attending graduate school and also became pregnant with her fourth! She now has 5 children with ages ranging from 10 to 30 years old.
Currently, Jenée works for the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) in the Student Support Service Department. SDCOE supports 42 school districts throughout San Diego County. Jenée has been with the SDCOE for nearly 10 years, with experience working in Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS) and, presently, Student Attendance, Safety, and Wellbeing. She has been a Field Instructor for USC for 9 years, and is excited to be a Field Instructor for SDSU beginning this year. She enjoys change and working on various projects, and is currently working on earning her Pupil Personnel Services Credential.
Wearing many different hats can be a challenge, but Jenée works to keep everything organized and balanced. Some rewarding aspects of her work include watching students change their lives, seeing parents get the resources they need, hearing fathers speak about the lives of their children, and watching her interns develop and grow as social workers. Her reward is watching those who felt they could not go on understand that they can. Giving them encouragement and a little push in the right direction makes a career in social work mean so much more. Jenée is happy when people get the help they need and deserve, and strives to have a positive impact on everyone she comes in contact with.
Jenée also is involved in community youth sports. In her spare time, she is a National Certified Official that helps to organize track and field meets. Recently, she was inspired by a gentleman who was 100 years old and broke 5 records, and says that she is always aiming to be the best she can be. Her advice for social work students is, “This is your opportunity to do what you really want to do. Your internship gives you the chance to make a difference, take the time to see this as your chance to spread your wings and find your path.”
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Written by Kelly Reilly
