Wyn Pennybacker
Students and Families: CLICK HERE to connect with Ms. Pennybacker!
Wyn Pennybacker is thrilled to serve as Woodrow Wilson High School’s ASP College Advisor. Even as a former completely-overzealous high school student, Wyn stumbled through the college application process. And though she wound up loving her college experience, she is excited to help Woodrow students through the unique stress of application season, and to introduce them to colleges where they will thrive.
A 2019 graduate of Hamilton College, Wyn prioritizes connecting students with higher education experiences that will allow them to deeply explore their identities and interests with capable mentorship. Prior to moving back to her home-city of Dallas to work with ASP, Wyn was fortunate to have mentored peers and students in a variety of locations and contexts, from leading college debate practice at Hamilton, to teaching eleventh grade writing in East Dallas and English Language in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine. Without her professors and academic advisors at Hamilton, Wyn would not have been able to have the experiences she did, and she looks forward to bringing everything she’s learned about mentorship, teaching, and learning to her own students. (Also, she actually loves to read personal statements.)
Currently, Wyn occupies a shoebox in Lakewood, and spends most of her free time listening to audiobooks, drinking too-expensive coffee, and preventing her cats from destroying the shoebox.
Selena Marmolejo
Students and Families: CLICK HERE to connect with Ms. Marmolejo!
Selena Marmolejo is honored to serve as a College Advisor at Woodrow Wilson High School. Born and raised in the Bay Area, California, by her tenacious and vibrant single mother, she learned early on the value of resilience, ambition, and heart. At 18, she took what felt like a daring leap and trusted her gut, moving across the country to a place she’d never visited, Boston College, where she earned her degree in Psychology.
As a first-generation, low-income student, Selena once believed her dream of traveling the world was out of reach. Yet Boston College opened doors she never imagined, offering immersive experiences across the globe for less than $2,000 combined. From South Africa’s bustling cities of Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town, to Quito, Ecuador; Kingston, Jamaica; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and Kampala & Gulu, Uganda. These endeavors expanded her worldview and deepened her commitment toward motivating others to recognize their privilege and utilizing their access to education for the common good. She now works to inspire students to step outside their comfort bubble and broaden their immediate horizon.
Passionate about uplifting students to push past self-doubt and financial fear, Selena is a firm believer in her mother’s saying: “Serás del tamaño de tus pensamientos,” so she encourages students to think BIG!
Guided by a deep love for justice and faith, Selena finds joy in exploring philosophical and theological writings, engaging in conversations that challenge her perspectives, and reflecting daily on how she can grow into a better version of herself. Outside of work, she is learning to commit to a consistent gym routine, loves cooking and baking, crocheting, exploring nature, and discovering new restaurants with friends and family. And, for the record, she will gladly debate anyone on why Drake did in fact beat Kendrick in their rap battle 🙂
Vanessa Turner
Students and Families: CLICK HERE to connect with Ms. Turner!
Vanessa Turner is beyond excited for another year as an ASP College Advisor at Woodrow Wilson High School. Without much assistance navigating the college application process herself, she is ready to help students take on this challenging and uncertain time in their lives.
With a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas in Journalism (in this house, we are Anti-ChatGPT), she enjoys reading Substack essays, writing her potential stand-up comedy half-hour and finding typos in other people’s work. Like a true BTWHSPVA alum, Ms. Turner loves the arts and values honest creative expression.
Vanessa is a born and raised Dallasite with an affinity for accidentally spending too much money at Northpark Mall. When she is not strolling through bookstores looking for her next read or driving through Dallas trying her best to avoid traffic on I-30, she is likely having unnecessarily long movie marathons on her couch with her cat Bunny. She never turns down a good rom-com and is always down to go to the movies.
Jerec Hate
Students and Families: CLICK HERE to connect with Mr. Hate!
As both a proud DISD and ASP alum, Jerec Hate is extremely excited to be working at Woodrow Wilson High School. Born and raised in Dallas, Jerec went to Dr. Wright L. Lassiter Early College High School and graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington with both a Bachelor’s in Marketing and Business Management.
He was aided by an ASP Advisor himself and was a mentee in college, being helped and guided through the new environment. Seeing how much that both assisted in getting into college and graduating, respectively, Jerec is eager to work with students and make college more accessible to the coming generation of Dallas seniors.
In his free time, Jerec enjoys cooking, spending money on video games he’ll never finish, and playing basketball. His favorite music to listen to ranges from country music to R&B to corridos, and anything that falls in between. Outside of work, you can find him playing gacha games on his phone, trying new food places, and looking for the One Piece.