Jill Darley-Vanis and the Joy of Reading
Spotlight: 2025 Exceptional Faculty Award recipient
Sitting in her office lined with shelves of books—and more stacked by her feet—Jill Darley-Vanis’s passion for reading is hard to miss. It's a joy she gladly shares with others. Now in her 25th year as an English professor at Clark College, her goal for her students is simple:
“I just want students to read.”
Her own relationship with literature wasn't straightforward. It was when she began taking specific literature classes in college—like Literature of the West—that she truly fell in love with reading. That spark is something she hopes each of her students gets to experience.
After earning her undergraduate degree, Jill became an editor and even worked for a time at a textbook company—“which is ironic,” she laughed, appreciating now the subtle foreshadowing of life to come. Eventually, she began taking a class here and there at Portland State University and, in doing so, found her way into teaching.
Jill’s path was paved by strong mentors who nurtured that passion for reading. One undergraduate professor, Dr. Betty Campbell, is imprinted in Jill’s memory for multiple reasons. “She had a strong southern accent and crazy dark hair, and she’d ride her bike all over campus—it looked like something right out of The Wizard of Oz!”
Dr. Campbell's energy impressed Jill, leading her to take the professor’s seminar on Charles Dickens. After Jill led a discussion on Bleak House, she seemed to also impress Dr. Campbell. She received a letter explaining that her professor recommended her for a session on women in graduate school.
Jill ultimately decided not to go to the session, but she kept the letter and found it again years later. It now serves as an inspiring reminder that Dr. Campbell was the one who challenged her the most. “I even use her books in some of my classes,” she said, gesturing towards the packed bookcase behind her.
Just as Dr. Campbell saw something in her, Jill now sees the capacity for talent in every student who walks into her classroom. “She can spot it easily, then goes out of her way to prune out the bad writing habits so students reach their full potential,” a student said in one nomination. To encourage that growth, Jill creates an environment that fosters inclusivity and vulnerability.
Jill loves the diversity her students bring to the classroom and the wide range of literature she can share with them. Her classroom becomes a space where both the richness of humanity and the variety of voices in literature are celebrated. Discussions on the similarities and differences between character identities are approached with respect, and every voice is valued.
“Along with knowledge-building, there’s a social aspect to reading because we like to talk about things with other people.”
She designs her curriculum to reflect that social energy, encouraging students to lead in small groups or in pairs and explore creative and interesting activities with the text. “Even hearing it aloud provides a different experience,” she said.
In another nomination, a student emphasized that Jill’s vibrant leadership creates another layer of connection. “She embodies confidence so well that we the students have learned to find and feel our own confidence,” they said. “She is a beacon of hope and inspiration for many young writers.”
She approaches every course like it’s the last literature class her students will ever take, posing the question to herself, “If I want this student to be a reader, what do I need to do to make this magic happen in the text?” Sometimes, she found, all it takes is a gentle nudge to spark their imagination.
One way she brings that magic to life is through her Pacific Northwest Literature course, inspired by the Literature of the West course she took in college. Each class, she invites an author to speak while the class is reading their book. The energy the author brings is distinct, creating an up-close experience with the text that many students haven’t had before. The stories they’ve lived with suddenly have a pulse, a voice.
Some students have already fallen in love with reading and eagerly engage with the author. For others, that moment of discovery might not come until years later, when a memory of that class rises again like a familiar line from a favorite book. Either way, Jill knows that these are the kinds of experiences that stay with students, even if they don’t realize how much they mattered at the time.
Next year, Jill will continue crafting those experiences across the Atlantic when she teaches for a term in Dublin, Ireland. Already immersed herself in preparations, she looks forward to weaving Irish music into her curriculum, taking students to the Rock & Roll Museum, local pubs, and other local places that tell a story through rhetoric in music.
Surrounded by the books that have shaped her life, her teaching, and now her future abroad, Jill smiled. “I’m having my Irish summer,” she said, patting the stack of Irish literature at her feet.
It’s a fitting chapter for someone who has spent her career showing students that reading isn’t just about turning pages. Jill’s passion continues to transform how students engage with literature—they learn that words can alter perspectives, expand awareness, and change how one interacts with the world around them.
“The people who do the reading and the writing are the people who hold the power. This is about your long-term happiness, but also about your participation in this thing called democracy, and you have that foundation when you read.”
About the Exceptional Faculty Awards
The Clark College Exceptional Faculty Awards are presented annually to full-time and part-time faculty members. Nominations can be submitted by Clark College students, faculty, classified employees, administrators, alumni, Board members, and Foundation directors. Students are particularly encouraged to submit nominations. Learn more about the Exceptional Faculty Awards here.
Read more about this year’s Clark Employee Award recipients.
Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley
Story by Malena Goerl, Staff Writer, Communications & Marketing