Jody Walker: Confidant, mom on campus

Her job title may only read “Upper School College Counseling Assistant and Attendance,” but Jody Walker is much more than that. Through everything she does, Walker brings a warmth and kindness with her. Earning the role as “mom away from home” with most students, she continuously makes a daily impact on students’ lives.

“I really think that she is like the motherly figure for every single student on the campus, but I’m not speaking for everyone. She really treats people like her own son and daughter and with so much love and care and she helps with anything that they need. I don’t know where Sierra Canyon would be without her, and I don’t think it would ever be as good without her,” senior Breslin Juan said.

Born and raised right here in Southern California, self-proclaimed “valley girl” Walker has had an exciting life from the beginning. During her senior year of high school, Walker was asked to be one of the original Laker girls. She then went on to attend the University of Oregon where she spent a year majoring in fine and applied arts. While there, she was a part of  the Delta Gamma sorority. After a year, Walker came back to California and studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). While attending FIDM, she started working with Chanel where she was employed  for seven years.

“It was a great industry because they kept promoting you because you were young and you could travel. I had a company car and the West Coast territory, and I trained people how to sell the Coco Chanel fragrance,” Walker said.

Once Walker got married, she stopped working for Chanel to become a full-time mom. She is now currently married to KTLA News Anchor Glen Walker and has two kids, Ryan (25) and Evan (21), and two stepchildren, Amanda (19) and Cole (17). When her youngest son, Evan, transferred to Sierra Canyon for his senior year of high school, Walker started to volunteer around the school.

“My youngest son, Evan, spent his senior year here and I volunteered a lot which I had always done for my kids and their schooling. When he went off to college, I asked if there was any work I could do and it turned into a full-time job,” Walker said.

Through her job in attendance, Walker gets to know all the students one way or another, which ultimately helps when those students reach the college process.

“She is able to give her opinion as a parent and how we can improve things or change things to make it easier for parents or students. Also, Jody is so great with interacting with the parents and students. That is her real strength; she loves working with the students and parents. She is a real asset to our office in that aspect. She is such a good representative of our College Counseling department,” Director of College Counseling Stephanie Rubin said.

What is Walker’s favorite part of her job? Without hesitation she will answer,

“I love all the kids. That’s my favorite part.” The students Walker interacts with everyday all hold a special place in her heart. “Being a mom is my top priority, that’s why I love the kids. My kids aren’t in the house anymore, so I’m the mom to a lot of these kids. They all call me mom and that’s what makes the job for me because I feel like I’m still helping people and I’m still involved in their lives and I really do care about the kids,” Walker said.

There is no shortage of appreciation coming from the students’ perspective either. Students have turned to Walker as a confidant, someone they can always go to in either good or bad times.

“Jody has given me someone in the administration to discuss any issues that I might have in full confidence. She always has the best answer as to how to deal with any difficult circumstances I encounter. It’s great to have someone to talk to that I know won’t judge me or snitch on me,” said junior Chad Schmerling. “Without Jody, SC would be a far more boring place! She’s pretty cool and she cheers me up even on a down day.”

It is easy to say that Walker really does have the students best interest at heart. Through her actions and speech, she promotes and radiates positivity throughout the entire student body. She is the students go-to.