COLORS, CHEMISTRY, AND COMMUNITY – INSIDE MHCC’S LGBTQ+ CLUB REVIVAL WITH ADVISOR JESS WITTMAN

I met with Dr. Jessica Wittman—who goes by Dr. Wittman or Jess, and uses they/them pronouns—in the science department conference room to discuss their roles on the MHCC campus and their approach to teaching chemistry.

Having been curious about how science students perceive their educational experience and employment options, I started off with a sort of left-field question about math: What is the baseline or minimum math level a graduate should achieve? Wittman replied that the minimum math for a bachelor’s or master’s degree would typically include either multivariable calculus or differential equations.

That conversation led directly into career pathways for chemistry students and what levels of education are most viable in the field. According to Wittman, a bachelor’s degree can provide limited opportunities, but a master’s degree or doctorate opens significantly more options for both employment and teaching. They highlighted Portland’s semiconductor industry, Seattle’s biotech sector, and the Tri-Cities area near the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as strong regional opportunities for chemistry graduates and students pursuing related fields such as data analytics, earth science, biology and materials science.

Wittman studied in Seattle as a doctoral student in general chemistry and later worked there as a part-time instructor before coming to MHCC in 2015. Although they pursued a doctorate partly to preserve the option of university teaching, Wittman said they preferred teaching at a community college like MHCC.

GOOD NEIGHBOR

As a teaching style, Wittman emphasized participation and flexibility. Each lesson builds upon the ones before, and interaction is encouraged for learning regardless of due dates. Math, practice and building learning resources all help when developing projects and contribute to student success. Their approach also acknowledges the challenges of current attention spans, a limitation not exclusive to Gen Z students. During the interview, their ease with helping students was obvious, and they came across as approachable and open to inquiries.

Originally from Montana, Wittman said moving to the Portland area in 2015 was an adjustment, but they brought their strong sense of community with them. They and their partner have been living and working in the St. Johns area to encourage a similar sense of community in the neighborhood with outreach. While block parties are popular, Wittman wanted to encourage collaboration for neighborhood resiliency, in case of emergencies or disasters, and for general safety.

LGBTQ CLUB

Outside the classroom, Wittman also serves as faculty advisor for MHCC’s LGBTQ+ Club. Alongside current club president Justice Montell, they helped reactivate the club in fall 2024 after it had been inactive since 2020, a disruption attributed to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student organizations and clubs everywhere.

The club, which was originally related to the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), now meets on Mondays from noon to 1 p.m. in a meeting room in the campus library. The group also maintains a Discord server and encourages meeting attendance for anyone interested in participating.

The LGBTQ+ Club was well represented during the recent club fair event in the Student Union on April 15, with a colorful display and copies of a Pride flag chart representing flags of various LGBTQ and adjacent demographic groups.

IDENTITY AND CONNECTION

Flag symbolism and messaging like the LGBTQ flag chart may be completely new to some people, but it is a central representation of identity in many LGBTQ groups, comparable to sports teams’ jerseys, gaming clubs’ clothing and symbols, work uniforms, neighborhood identity, regional culture, political messaging, ethnic culture, media preferences and so forth—all ways people connect with others. Those connections give a person a sense of community, something represented in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, as basic as food, shelter and recognition, and the kinds of healthy connections that encourage fully functional, productive adults.

RESOURCES 

LGBTQ Club: Advisor: Dr. Jessica “Jess” Wittman, “they/them”  President: Justice Montell. Mondays, 12-1 ; Library meeting room Email  Jessica.Wittman@mhcc.edu  Phone 503-491-7633, Rm AC2589 

Multicultural and Diversity Resource Center: Student Union, Room AC1050 Coordinator: Maurice Nicholson

The Trevor Project: National Suicide Prevention Hotline & Crisis Support Resource for LGBTQ+ Youth. 

Related Content & Printable Flag Guide: 

www.mhccadvocate.com/post/a-limited-guide-to-pride-flags