Meet Mimi Pollack | Community College English as a Second Language teacher and freelance writer.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mimi Pollack and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mimi, how do you think about risk?
I believe that taking risks in my life has led to where I am today. In December 1982, I moved from Mexico City to San Diego knowing only one or two people. In 1983, I took a chance and became a teacher’s aide at San Diego Community College District Continuing Education. Three months later, I was hired as a teacher and worked there until I retired in 2018. I taught immigrants and refugees in San Diego English as a Second Language. This experience taught me about all the different cultures and people of the world.

In 1989, I took another chance and got hired as a teacher at a second community college, Grossmont College where I taught credit ESL classes and again, worked with many different cultures. Although I also retired from there in 2018, I have continued subbing there. I feel happy in a classroom setting.

The second life changing risk I took was in 2010, when an editor I met at Grossmont College encouraged me to become a writer. Thanks to Don Harrison’s faith in me, I began to freelance and write for his online newspaper, San Diego Jewish World, and several other local newspapers, including Times of San Diego and East County Magazine. This opened up a whole new and exciting world for me.

In 2018, another friend, Paula Sassi, and I took a risk when we started the now defunct Bus Station Project to help migrants and refugees being dropped off at the downtown Greyhound bus station in San Diego by Border Patrol. We would go there at night with bags of food and toiletries in my car trunk to tide them over as they boarded the bus until they reached their next destination. We also provided stuffed animals for the children.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I wish I could have selected two of the above. I was/am a professional teacher and an employee of two community colleges. I am retired from one and still sub at the other.

However, I am also a creative and have written for several print and online newspapers, including San Diego Jewish World, Times of San Diego, East County Magazine, L’Chaim Magazine, Diario Judio, and La Prensa.

Being an ESL teacher with students from all over the world, I learned about so many different cultures and ways of life. In many ways, my students taught me just as much as I taught them. I still keep in touch with some of them.

As a writer, I was fortunate enough to write about many different subjects and people, including many animal organizations, plays, actors, musicians, non profits helping others, and volunteers doing good in the world. I currently have a column featuring a volunteer of the month. This expanded my world and made it richer.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Of course, we could do many of the usual places like Old Town, Cabrillo National Monument, and the Point Loma Lighthouse, Seaport Village, India Street, Coronado and the Del, but for me, the special places would be Dog Beach in Ocean Beach, Lake Murray, and for the best and most authentic tacos, La Fachada in Sherman Heights. El Cajon has many restaurants with authentic Middel Eastern food. For ice cream, I would go to La Mariposa on Adams Ave and for Jewish deli food, DZ Akins.

As an animal lover and avid dog walker, I would also recommend exploring the many different wonderful neighborhoods and seeing the rich mosaic that is San Diego as we have people and restaurants from all over the world.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The two people that stand out in my mind are Gretchen Bitterlin who was a teacher and chair of the ESL department for SDCCD Continuing Ed. She took a chance on me and hired me as a teacher when I first arrived in San Diego.

The second person is Donald Harrison who encouraged me to become a writer and became my mentor. There are also so many people in my life that I would like to thank.