Jenn
“Trust that you have something of value to contribute and bravely say your piece.”
She’s a teacher, a trailblazer, a fashionista, and a fearless leader. When she’s not carefully crafting her own wardrobe, she’s establishing communities and empowering entire networks of people. When Jenn was younger, it was various feminist icons, alongside her nana, who reminded her of her right as a woman to take up space. Now she is passionate about using that space to create space for others. Jenn has innovated her own science teaching programme, which for over five years has provided opportunities and training for teachers to enhance learning in their classrooms. She is someone who sticks to her guns and fights for her dreams. Jenn has a vibrant energy that lights up every room she walks into, and a remarkable drive that is both impactful and inspiring. Meet Jenn. This is her story.
P: Please introduce yourself!
J: Kia ora I’m Jenn Corbitt and I live in Ōtaki, up the Kapiti Coast which is north of Te Whanganui-a-tara. I’m just about a senior citizen and am looking forward to retirement in a few months’ time.
P: Describe or define yourself in your own words.
J: I’m someone who is driven by beliefs and values. As I’ve grown older, I have developed greater clarity about what is important to me and the degree to which I’m comfortable in terms of compromise. I try not to have closed mind and am open to different points of view but am also up for a robust debate! Being empathetic is also really important to me. All my mahi has been focussed around the importance of developing authentic relationships with people. I think this is a strength of mine as I think I am a good noticer and listener.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
J: My very clear sense of style and feeling very comfortable and confident about being my own self. Mostly, this is evident in the way I dress but also in the way I interact with people.
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
J: In the late 90s, I had the opportunity to set up a shared principalship with two other fabulous women in a Wellington school. This experience gave me the opportunity to put into practice a combined shared philosophy and ‘walk the talk’. On reflection, this defined me as someone who won’t settle for things in my life that aren’t motivated by making things better for people.
P: What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
J: Trust that you have something of value to contribute and bravely say your piece.
P: What does being a woman mean to you?
J: Being a woman is extraordinarily important to me. The feminist movement of the 70s influenced me significantly in my late teens and early 20’s. I remember reading Germaine Greer, Erica Jong and other feminist writers and not going through an awakening as such, but feeling validated that the space I occupy as a woman is right and necessary.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
J: My Nana Corbitt was very influential in my life. She is the most emotionally competent person I’ve known. She was an important part of my childhood and I have memories of her reading to me and my siblings for hours on end. She was a school teacher in the 20s in NZ and valued education greatly. She was also fiercely independent and encouraged me to have high expectations of how I wanted to live my life. She was ‘less soft’ than my Mum and I liked her straightforwardness. I would probably say thank you to her if she was here now. I wouldn’t need to explain why I was thanking her; she would know.