While listening to the backstories of Professor Alabi and Professor Yapici during the October Fellow Interview, it came as a shock to me that professors are actually human beings. They like sports, they have families, they prefer having fun while they teach… totally human of them. Of course, I know professors have lives just like we do, but something about the gap between us (students) and them (instructors) makes it hard to picture President Martha Pollack going to the movies or Professor Gries grocery shopping– you know, doing human stuff. Is it just me?

So when I was able to listen in on this fellow interview with two Cornell professors, I finally got a chance to peek into the unknown life of professional educators. It felt like a natural conversation (even though I didn’t have to do any talking, thankfully), learning more about the struggles, successes, and surprises of their uniquely human lives.

We ought to hold more fellow interviews, fellow talent shows, fellow discussions… opportunities to get to know professors on a more personal level. They are times for professors to show off their gifts, reveal their backstories, and give advice to students who really do want to learn more about the person behind the professor.