This past Thursday I sat down with the two of my First Year Seminar professors to interview them for this blog post. My intentions were 1) to get to know them a little better and 2) to inform the public about First Year Seminar classes. I’ll be splitting this into two blog posts, since it’d be way too long if I did it all in one.
And so we have… Part 1 of FYS: Getting to Know My Professors.
I’ll admit I was nervous, I’d never done an interview of any sort, and I wasn’t sure what Dee and Kerri (they prefer us to call them by their first name in the FYS) were expecting. I got there approximately seven minutes early, opened my laptop, edited a few of the questions I had prepared, and sat down with my foot tapping rapidly. They came in the room and the interview began. It was pretty laid back.
Here’s the low down on what I asked them about themselves:
Dee Campanella
- Job on campus: Currently a Residential Director.
- Favorite thing about Hope: “The students, I love how motivated they are. They’re caring, they’re compassionate, and they generally want to make a difference on campus and in the world, and that’s really evident to me.”
- Favorite place on campus: The Pine Grove, but not any specific tree.
Kerri Allen
- Job on campus: No current position besides FYS professor. In the past was Phelps RD and Residential Life Coordinator in Dykstra. (Fun fact: Kerri raised her kids in Dykstra, and during breaks they would play hide and go seek. Can you imagine?)
- Favorite thing about Hope: “The students, and just their willingness to challenge themselves, get to know professors and staff, and build relationships. I really think they desire to learn and grow.”
- Favorite place on campus: A little hidden chapel in Graves Hall.
Something really stuck out to me during this part of our conversation. While Dee was saying her favorite part about Hope, Kerri was busy talking to her children and had no chance to hear Dee’s answer. Yet when I asked her favorite part about Hope, she gave the same answer. The students.
It’s so easy to see how the professors not only care about, but also actually enjoy the presence of the students on campus. I think it’s amazing and it’s safe to say that for a lot of students their favorite part of Hope is the professors. It’s that mutual relationship that truly sets Hope apart from other schools.
For those of you wondering, what in the world is an FYS? Stay tuned for my next post, because the rest of the interview with my professors was all about that.
Have a lovely Saturday,
Brooke