麻豆传媒

Author, excruciatingly awkwardly: 鈥淪o, um鈥i, how are you?鈥� (Cue awkward laughing)

鈥淚鈥檓 pretty well. Monday morning. I鈥檓 half awake.鈥�

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Good morning (or whenever), everyone, and welcome back to the 麻豆传媒 Blog! I鈥檓 still your host, Beatrice Glaviano, and I鈥檇 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鈥檛 sure what to think. After missing the first class, I was under the (assumptious) impression that I was immediately disliked or that I鈥檇 been labeled as a slacker of sorts. Though I was quick to learn that wasn鈥檛 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 鈥� 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鈥檝e guessed?

鈥淪o鈥ow I鈥檓 curious. What鈥檚 your favorite Pokemon?鈥�

Professor Ayers: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I have a favorite Pokemon, but I鈥檝e never quite understood Magicarp.鈥�

This one I was genuinely curious about: 鈥淲hat鈥檚 your biggest pet peeve? Like鈥hat really gets to you?鈥�

鈥淧et peeve鈥h鈥︹�� He laughs for a second. 鈥淎ctually, people that use the microwave and leave five seconds on it.鈥�

鈥淧ftttttt- that鈥檚 so real, dude.鈥�

鈥淪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?鈥�

Professor Ayers: 鈥�......not anymore.鈥�

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

鈥淚 like to walk,鈥� Professor Ayers tells me. 鈥淯hm, I have hobbies. I mean, I played drums.鈥�

This question led to a conversation I wasn鈥檛 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鈥檛 our hobbies fall into that category? So much of what we love doing tends to fade while we鈥檙e in school, and with that our drive to experience life. I鈥檝e definitely found that as I got older, my enjoyment of things 鈥� art, ice cream, running at the park, reading 鈥� has definitely decreased merely because I don鈥檛 have time to really do it anymore. That鈥檚 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鈥檇 recognize years beforehand.

If you鈥檝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鈥檚 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. 鈥淵ou know, what鈥檚 something that people assume about you?鈥�

Prof. Ayers tapped his fingers together for a moment before answering. 鈥淓verybody kinda thinks I鈥檓 even-keeled.鈥�

I couldn鈥檛 disagree with that. I鈥檝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鈥檚 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.

鈥淪o, wrapping this interview up, here are my last two questions for you.鈥�

鈥淎濒谤颈驳丑迟.鈥�

鈥淲hat advice do you have for students, and what鈥檚 the greatest life lesson you鈥檝e learned so far?鈥� I asked.

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

鈥淧eople spend too much time in the past,鈥� he stated. 鈥淭hings happen and people don鈥檛 move on from it. As for 鈥榞reatest life lesson,鈥� be wary of the pains of other people.鈥�

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鈥檙e horrible at or have failed? Failure is never supposed to be a deterrent; it鈥檚 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鈥檛, you may never know what you could鈥檝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