The Gift of Guidance

In Walk to Emmaus, a popular post-resurrection account within the Gospel of Luke, Jesus appears before two disciples as an unknown traveler and patiently guides them in their faith. For Jessica Hooper ’03 (BA), the story truly signifies what faith in action means.

“It goes back to accompanying people through their journey — no matter what that journey is,” said Hooper. “If we are really putting our faith into action, we are going to be Christ for each other.” 

Hooper is the head of school at Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Boston and has spent her entire professional career working in Catholic education. She began her journey as a middle school teacher, first at St. Therese Academy and then Stella Maris Academy. Next, she became assistant head of school at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace and then president of Nativity Prep Academy, the only tuition-free independent school in Southern California focused on supporting first-generation students from low-income families.

Through the Torero Promise at the University of San Diego, sixth graders at Nativity Prep — who may be academically behind their grade level — commit to additional instruction and summer coursework to prepare for high school and for future success in college. In return, the school supports these students financially and through teaching and mentorship for the 11 years between middle school and college graduation.

The program, which has currently seen two cohorts graduate from USD, is a powerful example of putting one’s faith in action, said Hooper. “You take the hand of a sixth grader, and you don’t let go until they graduate from college. There is something incredibly meaningful for me to see that journey. It’s why I became an educator and why I remain an educator.”

Hooper, whose father was an academic, moved several times as a young child. She attended middle and high school in Bend, Oregon, before coming to USD, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in humanities with an emphasis in theology and religious studies.

“I grew up in a family where faith was of high value and a core identity, so being at a Catholic university was my top priority,” she said. “When I came to visit USD, there it stood in all its glory on the hill, with the Pacific Ocean. But I also liked that it was a small campus. I felt a sense of community, even as a prospective student.”

The move from a small Pacific Northwest town to San Diego was not without its growing pains, Hooper said. What made the difference was finding her community by embracing opportunities, especially volunteering and working within University Ministry.

“For me, the faith element had already been important in my life, so it was a natural place where I could go find a smaller community in a bigger system and feel like I could be myself. It was such a genuine experience. We were the welcome committee, tasked with showing students that this is a place where everyone belongs. I took that to heart.”

Following graduation, Hooper planned to enroll in a Master of Journalism program in Arizona. She packed up her Mission Beach condo, said goodbye to beach living and moved east. A week later, she was contacted by the principal at St. Therese Academy, who wanted to offer her a long-term substitute position in a seventh-grade classroom.

“Prior to leaving San Diego, I put my name into the diocese as a means to substitute and explore education,” said Hooper. “A week after moving to Arizona, my dad and I packed up my stuff, and I moved back to San Diego. It was this pinnacle-of-life moment — just being open to the journey and trusting the opportunity.”

Despite the challenges of taking on a class of 38 seventh graders midway through the academic year, the experience validated Hooper’s inclination that this was her life’s calling. She was offered a permanent position at the end of the year and set out to earn both her teaching credentials and a master’s degree in educational administration. From classroom teacher to administrator, Hooper has intentionally committed her career to Catholic school education. There have been countless moments that have validated her unique path, but one experience stands out from the others — coaching the academic decathlon in her second year as a middle school teacher.

“I had these really bright young students, but it was our first go-around,” she recalled. “Then we went out and won the whole quiz! It was a top 10 life moment for me, and I always tell this story because the girls worked as a team, they were so proud of their achievement, everyone mattered and they had this cohesive success.”

Hooper acknowledges that leaving “the world’s most perfect microclimate” in San Diego would take the perfect job opportunity. It came last year when a recruiter connected her with Newton, a Catholic all-girls school sponsored by the religious sisters.

Founded in 1880, the school has an enrollment of about 375 girls in grades 5-12.

“This journey has been one of grace,” said Hooper. “I inherited an institution that’s celebrating 145 years, but it’s also asking questions about its relevance in the next 145 years. Our work is to build community now, but also inspire the future.”

Within the current generation, there is what Hooper deems a “healthy rebellion,” as these young women, from increasingly secular backgrounds, search for their faith and place in the world. “There is an impatience of inequality, and I think it is a healthy thing for our faith tradition to wrestle with,” she said. “They’re looking for where they might belong, they have questions, and faith can offer a really meaningful place for them to ask those questions.”

The most important duty of an educator in a student’s quest for self-discovery is to walk the path alongside them, Hooper said.

“The joy is in the accompaniment. As educators, we teach and that’s vital, but the real work is in relationship-building. I find such deep meaning in being a part of a child’s journey.”

— By Matthew Piechalak

This story was featured in the spring 2025 issue of University of San Diego Magazine. University of San Diego Magazine is the flagship publication of the University of San Diego. Published two times a year, the magazine is distributed to alumni, parents and friends of the university.