Student writer Lizzy Young shouts out Professor Laura Stevens as the TU Outstanding Teacher nominations wrap up.
One of the most important parts of the college experience, other than the friends you make, is the professors. A good professor can make a class, and I purposefully choose courses based on whether I like the professor.
As I student, I often get so bogged down with and stressed about homework that I don’t focus on the positive aspects of college. Because I so often complain about school, I am going to take this time to shout out one of my favorite professors at TU.
Dr. Laura Stevens, who teaches English and literature courses, has demonstrated that she truly cares about her students. I experienced how much she wants them to succeed when I transferred to TU. My academic advisor placed me in her liberal arts prep class my first semester here.
Transferring to TU, especially mid-year, is hard. It is difficult to meet people and find out about events happening on campus. When I told Dr. Stevens I was a transfer student, she made sure to connect me to other English and creative writing majors. She also told me about all the clubs and activities on campus that might interest me.
Even though she was only my professor for a pass/fail course, she wanted to make sure I had a good experience at TU and that I did not feel like I had to discover all that the school offered on my own. Because of her kindness and willingness to show me what was out there, I was able to find friends and get connected to organizations like The Collegian and other campus activities.
I took another course with Dr. Stevens the next semester because she had been so wonderful in the first class I had her. The course with her was a perfect balance of being incredibly fun and informative. We covered a niche period of history, so by the end, we knew almost all there is to know about early 17th century England. Throughout the semester, she had several individual meetings with everyone in the class to help us with our research papers. I appreciated that she always made herself available for her students.
In everything Dr. Stevens does, I can tell she really cares about the success of her students, which makes me want to take her courses. I am sad that taking a course with her didn’t fit in my schedule this semester.
Dr. Stevens is just one example of how I have been positively affected by many professors at TU. The advantage of going to a small school with a tight-knit campus is that you can get to know your professors on a one-on-one basis. I have had the opportunity to take multiple classes with the same professors, and they have always remembered me. This makes me more willing to interact in class and want to know more about the material they are discussing.
It makes the coursework a little less tiresome when I remember my professors genuinely care about my success. I have had the opportunity to experience that with many different professors at TU, and I am extremely grateful to them for how much effort they put in.
