Students and staff alike at North have noticed over the past few years two North Stars with coincidentally very similar names: teacher Jenna Bruhn and senior Brenna Jun. This connection has been shared with them numerous times; in Bruhn’s words, “I get approached in the hallway, probably at least once a month, and someone will randomly just say [Brenna Jun’s] name and how it compares.” While this is the topic that brought them together, they do very different things to help lead in the North community.
The two were brought together and were able to have a conversation, helping them to learn about this other individual they’ve so often been compared to.

Tell me about yourselves. 

Brenna- I’m a senior here at North and I’m involved in a lot of different things. This is my second year being the president of Key Club, which is a volunteering club here at North. I’m also the vice president of Tri-M Music Honor Society and Science National Honor Society. I’m also drum major for the marching band. Outside of school, I like to play french horn in Youth Orchestra, and I also play soccer on my club team. 

Jenna- This is my 7th year teaching here. I teach social studies, but psychology and sociology, and I actually graduated from North, so that’s usually always my little fun fact. I had some of the teachers that are here; they were my teachers, too. It’s fun; it’s exciting. I’m a PL adviser. I co-advise Educators Rising with Dr. Boehle, and she was my old European history teacher.

Do you have any other hobbies? 

Brenna- When I have time I like to hang out with friends, I love movies, I love listening to music, occasionally I crochet, although that’s usually a summer thing for me. 

Jenna- During the school year I don’t do a whole lot outside of school. I love to bake, which is weird, I don’t like to cook at all, and I cannot cook at all, but I love to bake, although I don’t really enjoy eating what I bake, which is weird. I love to bake for other people, so that’s kind of fun.  I have a cute golden retriever that I take to the dog park from time to time. I like the series on criminals and serial killers [true crime], I love figuring out what’s going on with people and why they did what they did, and there’s so many of those, between podcasts and TV shows.

What’s something people might not know about you?

Jenna-I stay up really late. My students know this about me because I share it. But I hate mornings, like this career does not fit well, if we could have afternoon school and go from even like 10 o’clock, I would absolutely rather do that. I stay up on school nights until like 12, 1 o’clock  most nights, and wake up at 5. On weekends, I flip my schedule, not every weekend, but I will sometimes stay up until like 2 or 3 in the morning and then sleep in until like noon, and so I do that like most weekends and then have to flip back for the week. So I hate mornings, I love nights.

Brenna, would you say you’re a morning or night person?

Brenna- I don’t know, because I hate getting up early, but I’m always falling asleep, like anywhere, like anytime past 5 I get so sleepy, which is why I love that we get out of school so early.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Brenna- As for post- high school plans, I’m interested in majoring in neuroscience. I actually discovered that interest through Mrs. Herrera’s AP psychology class last year. 

Jenna (in response)- Oh that’s awesome. It’s a very tough field, and you have to want to [go into it]. You have to be very smart, very dedicated. That’s awesome–good for you.

Since the original connection that brought you together was your names, do you have any background on your names?

Brenna- Brenna means raven-haired, which I guess is fitting because I have darker hair, but my mom actually got the idea from a novel she was reading. She really liked a character in it, and her name was Brenna. Then Jun, pronounced j-uh-n, is, I don’t know the origins of that name, I just know it’s a Korean last name. 

In Jenna’s words, “[It] is so funny, because if you pronounce [Brenna’s] name correctly there is no tie.” In fact, the two would have zero connection if both were pronounced correctly, but the inverse nature of the spellings create a unique connection between Brenna and Jenna. Between the two, they contribute in many different ways to the North community in addition to their interesting similarity.