Director of Preschool and Lower School Admissions
Know Your Pelicans
Before stepping into her position as Director, Jansen Po served as the Associate Director of Preschool and Lower School Admissions from 2019 to 2022. Prior to that, she was the Assistant Head of Preschool and Lower School from 2010 to 2012 and then head of division from 2012 to 2016. She also has worked as a diversity recruiting consultant for a non-profit serving NYC independent schools for several years.
As Associate Director of Preschool and Lower School Admissions, what do you do for Packer?
I have the pleasure of meeting with prospective families and sharing with them the many amazing programs and special qualities of the Packer community, from both the perspective of an employee and as a proud parent. My favorite part of my role, however, is having “playdates” with prospective Kindergarteners — we do puzzles and play games, and the day always ends with stickers!
Tell us about a specific time you found your job especially rewarding.
During an interview with a prospective Kindergartener, he broke out with a round of Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke.” As I sang along with him, it felt so joyful — the throwback to the music of my own early childhood made me feel sunny and young!
Tell us about a time you learned something from our students.
I learn new things from our students, including my own two children, every day. They encourage me to be an activist instead of a bystander; they teach me to reimagine a cardboard box and old bottle caps as a robot; they show me shortcuts around the building when I find myself in a dead end (both literally and figuratively).
What is your favorite space on campus and why?
I love the window into the Middle School, just past the Shen Gallery. I point it out on school tours because it perfectly captures the spirit and history of Packer — the interconnectedness of the past and future — with the sleek stainless steel classrooms rising up within the grand frame of the old church.