Gil Bardsley, Director

David Woo, Advisor

What qualities and/or experiences do you bring to your job at SSS?

    Hmmmm…..other than looking 21 while acting 12…not much…just kidding!! I think I bring a whole host of qualities and experiences to this job at SSS. I have been working with students of all sorts since 1992, first as tutor then the last 6 years or so as a college and career counselor for AACE (Asian American Communities for Education) Talent Search, which is a sister TRIO program to SFSU SSS (wow…all these letters.)
     I am also a third year student at SFSU’s Counseling Program where I am finishing my Master’s of Science in Counseling with a specialization in College and Career. That’s a mouthful ain’t it? Above and beyond all the professional and education mumbo jumbo jargon, I feel my best attributes are the ones I absorbed from my former students and hopefully my current and future ones. I never looked at advising or counseling as a one-way “ me telling you what to do” process but more of a collaborative, “team effort” where I learn as much from the student as they from me. So I bring not only all of my own professional, personal, and academic experiences to the table when we meet but those of my former students as well.

    What is the greatest challenge facing SSS students?

    Since a great majority of our SSS students come from low-income, first generation college student backgrounds, I would have to say lack of support in terms of academic, family and finances. All of our SSS students should be proud of themselves for being in college because they have proven the statistics wrong; that only those who come from affluence go onto college. My goal is to provide at least a little bit of that support to not only ensure that our students finish college, but to do so in a successful fashion.

    What keeps you coming back to work everyday?

    Hmmm….could be Joan’s putdowns of me or JC’s cracks about my crumbs (ya had to be there) or the new and wonderful relationships I am forging with the new SSS students….I think its all of that plus more…the staff of SSS has been so wonderfully supportive that its hard to believe I have only been here for such a short time. I have said it many times and I will keep on saying so, I love working with students. Its never a dull moment with the new students I have and as I get to know them better, I think times will get more interesting. I always hear the cliché that many advisors and counselors say, “I’m here to help others,”. I believe in that saying, but I am also here to learn from all of our students’ experiences, ideas and thoughts. I ain’t the smartest person in the world and don’t claim to be!! =)

    What are some of your interests outside of your SSS job?

    Hmmmm….I can’t talk about most my interests outside of SSS since…cuz ya know, I might not be working for very long if ya knew….=) Work and school have consumed most of life the last few years but one constant that has been there through all of this until recently has been my love of music and specifically DJing. It started as a hobby in 1988 and I took it up professionally in 1995 “unofficially” retiring in 2000. I ran a sound and lighting company for many of those years while spinning a variety of music from….yes…progressive house and trance to hip-hop to 70’s retro…to…ummm….ballroom? (hey don’t laugh!!). Alas work and school caught up with me and so went my DJing career but it was fun while it lasted and I’ll still pump out the occasional CD…once in a long while. =)

    What quote would best describe you?

    I thought I lost this quote many years ago (don’t ask, I just lost it) but only came across it again recently. Its something I think many of you have seen in my cubicle. “No history, no self.” Just say it to yourself several times because you will come up with several meanings to it but it all revolves around understanding your past and present self. Its food for thought!!