Students reflect on powerful experiences with impactful professors

By Karina Hartley
Staff Reporter

The rigorous nature of college courses can be a lot to take on for students and represent a time of radical change. For some, having a meaningful connection with a professor can be anchoring and empowering. Students at LCC shared who their most impactful professor has been and why.

Dylan Fields-Buckley shared that Joe Esquibel, a biology professor, had the most profound impact on him. “It was my first year going back to school after, like, 10 years, and he just made me feel welcomed into the academic setting in a way I hadn't felt before, where none of my questions seemed stupid,” shared Fields-Buckley. “He explored topics and ideas and went deeper into it than what was necessary. But if it piqued anybody's interest or curiosity, he was happy to do that.”

 

“Professor Michael Giles has been pretty helpful,” said Zahra Djibrine. “He's been very flexible. Recently, I've fallen ill and I've fallen way behind in class. And overall, just him having to understand that students have other lives and have other responsibilities other than just coming to the classrooms and being a student,” she added. “That goes to show how one professor can really change your life, because I was actually at the edge and was going to withdraw from classes. And with having financial aid being on the line—and also my honors scholarship—I knew that if I withdrew from classes, I would definitely have to face some issues or challenges of losing my honors scholarship, and then also have to pay back financial aid. So just him understanding that, being more than a professor, I would say has been really great.”

 

Lucas Sowa named his sociology professor, Jean Ramirez. “He's opened my eyes to so many large-scale structures that I don't really pick up on,” shared Sowa. “You usually don't have time to consolidate and analyze like that amount of data. But this is actually something that affects you. It's something that everybody is kind of a part of, unavoidably.” Sowa reflected on how this deepened his understanding: “It definitely makes you more informed and aware about your choices, what you can do, what you can't do, and what is affecting you, and I'm just so much better off knowing that.”

 

Faraz Firouzkouhi shared that Candy Giovanni, a math professor, was the most impactful for him. “She caused me to realize that what I want to do with my life is her job, which is to be a math professor,” said Firouzkouhi. “Since that is the purpose and the goal of my life now, I would say that's a pretty big impact.”

 

Prospere Brilliant Mbouga Samaga named Adam Richardson, who taught his introduction to computer science and introduction to Python classes, as an impactful professor during his two semesters at LCC. “He knows that I am a French speaker, you know, and I'm trying to adjust with the new language,” said Samaga. “He is always encouraging me, always telling me that I can do it.” Samaga elaborated that Richardson makes himself available to answer any questions, as well: “He's always behind me when, in case I need help, I can always reach out to him and be like, ‘Hey, professor, I don't understand this.’… And then he's always like, ‘No, you don't need to worry about it. You don't need to rush. The only thing that you need to do is to look at this way to do it, look at different way to do it.’” Samaga also said that Richardson has helped him feel more confident in his work. “He's always here to give me different perspective on how I can process to get successful in my classes, and so far, I'm doing pretty much good.”

 

Kera Spaeth said her most impactful professor was Daphne Daugherty, who was her composition instructor. “I felt appreciated in what I was writing,” shared Spaeth. “I felt encouraged and inspired to write my actual thoughts down. Whereas in the past, I've had teachers who shut my thoughts down because they're sort of out there and maybe depressing, but she enjoyed that and cultivated that.”