That Day and that Professor | National Humanities Center

Humanities Moments

That Day and that Professor

July 17, 2020

Pinzon, Nancy (PhD Candidate, Latin American Literature, University of Florida)

Teaching; Students;

Several years ago, I was invited to teach a literary translation class at the college in my small town in Montana, something that was completely out of my profession as I was a civil engineer with a master’s degree in Information Systems. Moreover, it was not part of my remotest dreams but since at the time I was the only native Spanish speaker in my town, with a master’s degree, I decided to accept the invitation. The experience turned out to be wonderful. So much that a few years later, I had already finished my first semester in the doctoral program in Latin American literature. While being a student, I also had the opportunity to be an intern for the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere in UF. There, I coordinated table events for the Pop-Up Culture Week where students, after learning about the Humanities Moments concept, were able to create their own Moment. It was so successful that we repeated the event a few months later at the International Education Week.

That special day when, in Montana, that professor and now friend invited me to teach changed my life forever. Today, very close to finishing my PhD, having taught, and having worked as an intern, I can say that being a teacher is the most wonderful thing that has happened to me in my professional life and I would not change it for anything in the world. The satisfaction of first seeing my students with their eyes full of curiosity and interest when I mention cultural and life events lived in my country and in Latin America, as part of the language and culture classes, and later, exchanging thoughts and experiences with them at the events reminded me that humanities are not only knowledge but also amazing human being experiences that we share and pass on from heart to heart.


Subjects

Literature / Teaching / Students /

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