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Author, excruciatingly awkwardly: 杏吧原版淪o, um杏吧原版i, how are you?杏吧原版� (Cue awkward laughing)

杏吧原版淚杏吧原版檓 pretty well. Monday morning. I杏吧原版檓 half awake.杏吧原版�

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Good morning (or whenever), everyone, and welcome back to the Charger Blog! I杏吧原版檓 still your host, Beatrice Glaviano, and I杏吧原版檇 like to introduce a genre of blogging that I thoroughly missed:

Faculty interviews.

This past week, I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Professor James Ayers, M.S. here at the University of New Haven. Professor Ayers has a strong background in all things biological, including a well-earned B.S. (Biology) from Southern Connecticut State University and M.S. (Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior) from Purdue University.

As one of his current students, I met Professor Ayers in his Socioeconomic Inequalities (H) course that is co-taught by Professor Rachel Novick. Originally, I wasn杏吧原版檛 sure what to think. After missing the first class, I was under the (assumptious) impression that I was immediately disliked or that I杏吧原版檇 been labeled as a slacker of sorts. Though I was quick to learn that wasn杏吧原版檛 the truth. I have grown so much in this class so far, as both professors allow the course to be a place of inquiries, brainstorming, and application of biology to real-world, socio-economic issues 杏吧原版� something completely up my alley. For those who are in the Honors Program and in need of a course, I would highly recommend this one as you will do a great deal of thinking and come to appreciate the environment of a technology-free classroom.

On that note, Professor Ayers is quite smart, sophisticated in his choice of interesting shirts, humorful, honest, and empathetic. He works with my overly-sized imagination, and often entertains tangents in class, whether they be about the health impacts of Yankee Candles, sugar, and artificial sweeteners, or about almost anything.

And he plays Pokemon Go. Who on Earth would杏吧原版檝e guessed?

杏吧原版淪o杏吧原版ow I杏吧原版檓 curious. What杏吧原版檚 your favorite Pokemon?杏吧原版�

Professor Ayers: 杏吧原版淚 don杏吧原版檛 think I have a favorite Pokemon, but I杏吧原版檝e never quite understood Magicarp.杏吧原版�

This one I was genuinely curious about: 杏吧原版淲hat杏吧原版檚 your biggest pet peeve? Like杏吧原版hat really gets to you?杏吧原版�

杏吧原版淧et peeve杏吧原版h杏吧原版π影稍鏉 He laughs for a second. 杏吧原版淎ctually, people that use the microwave and leave five seconds on it.杏吧原版�

杏吧原版淧ftttttt- that杏吧原版檚 so real, dude.杏吧原版�

杏吧原版淪o aside from your choice in coffee and pet peeve, what happens in the day-to-day life of Professor James Ayers? Do you secretly deadlift 225 lbs?杏吧原版�

Professor Ayers: 杏吧原版�......not anymore.杏吧原版�

Author lets out a Yoda-like giggle. New lore unlocked?

杏吧原版淚 like to walk,杏吧原版� Professor Ayers tells me. 杏吧原版淯hm, I have hobbies. I mean, I played drums.杏吧原版�

This question led to a conversation I wasn杏吧原版檛 expecting. Apparently, Professor Ayers had originally planned on going to art school, but due to the financial instability of the field, he decided that a career in biology would be better in the long-term. As someone else who gave up a career in the visual arts, I understood where he was coming from. Prof. Ayers went on to tell me that he used to be in a band, but he has since left and diverted to doing weekly jam sessions. Outside of music, he is still an artist at heart and enjoys flipping comic books in his spare time.

There is such a unique balance to strike between school, work, and play. Then comes rest and fulfilling basic human needs, but don杏吧原版檛 our hobbies fall into that category? So much of what we love doing tends to fade while we杏吧原版檙e in school, and with that our drive to experience life. I杏吧原版檝e definitely found that as I got older, my enjoyment of things 杏吧原版� art, ice cream, running at the park, reading 杏吧原版� has definitely decreased merely because I don杏吧原版檛 have time to really do it anymore. That杏吧原版檚 the thing about college that I dislike. Who do you become when your life is simply paperwork? Equations? Long hours of studying and not touching the grass every once in a while? Certainly not anybody you杏吧原版檇 recognize years beforehand.

If you杏吧原版檝e been doing homework for a while, go outside. Breathe some air in and stretch. Remember that you are still an animal, and that play is an essential thing for your biology. Do something fun, even if it杏吧原版檚 small. Fold some origami. Call a friend and talk. Do anything that makes your heart lighter, and your soul a bit brighter.

Author, tapping her fingers on her keyboard. 杏吧原版淵ou know, what杏吧原版檚 something that people assume about you?杏吧原版�

Prof. Ayers tapped his fingers together for a moment before answering. 杏吧原版淓verybody kinda thinks I杏吧原版檓 even-keeled.杏吧原版�

I couldn杏吧原版檛 disagree with that. I杏吧原版檝e found that people tend to believe others are more balanced, probably because we see in others what we want to see in ourselves. That杏吧原版檚 why we admire people, I think; we value the people who we dream we could be. While I never had a role model growing up (i.e. Abraham Lincoln or any of that genre of leaders), I found that a lot of my admiration came in the form of other people, leading me to strive to be better.

I was also one of the kids who viewed everything as a competition. I am still that kid, lol.

杏吧原版淪o, wrapping this interview up, here are my last two questions for you.杏吧原版�

杏吧原版淎濒谤颈驳丑迟.杏吧原版�

杏吧原版淲hat advice do you have for students, and what杏吧原版檚 the greatest life lesson you杏吧原版檝e learned so far?杏吧原版� I asked.

Leaning back in his chair a little bit, I could see the mental clockwork of Professor Ayers杏吧原版� brain ticking away.

杏吧原版淧eople spend too much time in the past,杏吧原版� he stated. 杏吧原版淭hings happen and people don杏吧原版檛 move on from it. As for 杏吧原版榞reatest life lesson,杏吧原版� be wary of the pains of other people.杏吧原版�

That stuck with me.

I think human suffering and pain often start with our inability to let things go. Pain is contagious; it passes from person to person, seeping in through your skin and to your brain. How often do past mistakes leech into the present moment, telling you all the things you杏吧原版檙e horrible at or have failed? Failure is never supposed to be a deterrent; it杏吧原版檚 supposed to encourage you to do better. Nothing great was accomplished without challenge, adversity, some tears (probably), and as much perseverance as you could muster.

People will say that you will fail, but what they never tell you is that you have an option to get back up. There is always an option to get back up and try again.

Pick up the towel after throwing it in. Keep going. If you don杏吧原版檛, you may never know what you could杏吧原版檝e accomplished.

Fight for it.

I hope that everyone is having a great week, and that this interview has given some insight into the things you may have needed to hear.

With peace, love, and peanut butter,

Beatrice