After graduating in Germanistik, Anglistik and Philosophie at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany, Jessica Happe gained 15 years of experience in teaching senior secondary students from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds in the subjects German, English, Philosophy and Drama in Herford, Germany. There she has also been Head of the English Department, Head of the Philosophy Department and Head of the Steering Group, managing multiple administrative, organisational and evaluative tasks next to introducing and implementing curricular changes as well as developing and implementing new projects and teaching methods.

Apart from her academic and teaching career, Jessica Happe has been a swim coach since she was 15 years old, coaching kids and young adults, aged 5 to 25, on different levels, and holds a sports coach license of the German Landessportbund. 

She has also successfully completed more than 100 further education workshops in the field of theatre, having focussed on improvisational theatre over the past five years in which she has learned a multitude of theatrical methods, skills and teaching approaches from professional actors from England, Canada, Israel, Germany, Poland, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.

Jessica Happe's aim as a teacher is not only to teach her students excellent academic skills and train their minds how to think (not 'what' to think) but also to boost their curiosity, creativity and kindness. She wants her students to strive, thrive and succeed - while simultaneously becoming happy and confident individuals who will find their personal path into the future.

What she loves most about teaching is the uniqueness of every single student she feels blessed to get to know. For her, everyone is wonderful in their own way - and thus an inspiration to her and others. At an international school like the DSJ, this becomes even more prevalent. This is the reason why she loves working here.

"It is not what you look at that matters but what you see." (Henry David Thoreau) - and what Jessica Happe sees every single day in the students at DSJ are positive vibes, possibilities and oh so much potential. To support every single student in seeing their personal possibilities and promoting their potential is her calling.