2008 Woodie Awards
Imagine all the people: TA encourages student to persevere
Sarah Masih
Issue date: 11/6/06 Section: Features
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Media Credit: Patricia BlauveltSeymour treats himself with ice cream after class.
Walking around UIC I sometimes feel like a stranger with very few familiar warm faces. Class sizes are relatively large and often at times one can feel like a number rather than an actual person. In the midst of the masses and all the uncertainty of life it's easy to feel like an ant in the great city of Chicago; it's rare to experience a genuinely cordial interaction with a stranger.
In the spring of 2006 I went through a really hard time and struggled to keep up with my classes. At this time I was enrolled in a grueling Animal Physiology class. I began to doubt my overall academic ability and once I lost faith in myself my grades got worse. I lost focus and I started to question my dreams of going to medical school. The mechanisms of the human body seemed like a foreign language. During this time of turmoil my teaching assistant Andrew Seymour taught me a lot about my personal ability and life.
Andrew took time out of his busy schedule and patiently spent countless hours explaining all the information that I could not seem to grasp. He took a different approach towards physiology and he actually made it fun. Learning is both a privilege and an art. Andrew taught me that you have to take pleasure in the art of learning. Suddenly, I found myself understanding key concepts and participating actively in lecture. My grades drastically improved and I regained a new confidence in my future goals and myself.
My encounter with Andrew changed the way I viewed life. I now consider him a role model in my life. Andrew is not only working towards a Ph.D. in Neurobiology but he recently obtained his black belt in Hapikido, and volunteers regularly with homeless women in East Garfield Park. I admire his approach to life, combining his mind, body and soul into his everyday life. Andrew taught me that life is more than earning a degree and that life is full off endless possibilities.
After meeting Andrew it's nice to know that there are still good people out there. Before Andrew, I sought for personal fulfillment through my achievements in school. Life is about discovering yourself in every way. When thinking of Andrew, I am reminded of a quote by Gandhi: "Live as if your were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
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In the spring of 2006 I went through a really hard time and struggled to keep up with my classes. At this time I was enrolled in a grueling Animal Physiology class. I began to doubt my overall academic ability and once I lost faith in myself my grades got worse. I lost focus and I started to question my dreams of going to medical school. The mechanisms of the human body seemed like a foreign language. During this time of turmoil my teaching assistant Andrew Seymour taught me a lot about my personal ability and life.
Andrew took time out of his busy schedule and patiently spent countless hours explaining all the information that I could not seem to grasp. He took a different approach towards physiology and he actually made it fun. Learning is both a privilege and an art. Andrew taught me that you have to take pleasure in the art of learning. Suddenly, I found myself understanding key concepts and participating actively in lecture. My grades drastically improved and I regained a new confidence in my future goals and myself.
My encounter with Andrew changed the way I viewed life. I now consider him a role model in my life. Andrew is not only working towards a Ph.D. in Neurobiology but he recently obtained his black belt in Hapikido, and volunteers regularly with homeless women in East Garfield Park. I admire his approach to life, combining his mind, body and soul into his everyday life. Andrew taught me that life is more than earning a degree and that life is full off endless possibilities.
After meeting Andrew it's nice to know that there are still good people out there. Before Andrew, I sought for personal fulfillment through my achievements in school. Life is about discovering yourself in every way. When thinking of Andrew, I am reminded of a quote by Gandhi: "Live as if your were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
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