Follow Through

The best advice I can give is "follow through," especially when not required or expected. The typical reaction is surprise, then happiness. By reaching out to students, I uncovered problems that otherwise would have festered. If a student says they understand, ask a few questions to be sure and cement the knowledge. If a student is struggling with homework, check on their progress. If a student does a good job, tell them so. If you can get honest feedback from students and act on it, you will only improve.

The most important part of the learning environment is that every student feels welcome and part of the community, spanning CMU classrooms in Pittsburgh, Kigali, Doha, and Silicon Valley. I want everyone to know that they are not alone, they are part of CMU, and there is no shame in asking for help. We are here and willing to make time. Not every student is equally willing to comment or ask questions, but every student is equally deserving of an education. Without that foundation, students are in danger of being left out or falling behind. Learning requires a dialog. Once you initiate that dialog, the real learning can begin.

CMU has been such a warm community that it has been a pleasure to give back in any way possible. The Haberman Educational Service Award is an amazing and humbling honor. However, the best reward has been students enjoying the course who would have dropped the course but for a little bit of extra tutelage. I am genuinely excited to see what our students can accomplish with the skills they acquired . Many thanks to Bhiksha, Rajat, Tom, Ryan, Jerry, Aggrey, Mounira, the students, and everyone else that came together to make everything possible.

20 May 2018