When I was a freshman in college, I had so many fresh ideas of what I wanted to do and who I wanted to become. While I had many goals, I was never brave or mature enough to act upon any of my pursuits. I would sit in the shade, contemplating of the superhuman I wanted to become, and watching each upperclassman pass me by as they crushed my self-esteem with their style and character so incredibly suave and sophisticated. I would always think, while staring at my inadequate clothes and dull shoes, why can’t I be like that? Why can’t I transform into something so respectable and classy? While on the outside it was clear that my aesthetic presentation was not up to their level, I knew that the real insufficiency was internal. Underdeveloped and juvenile, such reflections would inhibit me from taking the next step that would allow me to grow.

At the end of freshman year I would meet Thomas, a boy who was so wildly expressive that even his polyester shirts shone as bright as his personality. For the next few months, Tom would grow curious of me, and he would break down my egotistical wall, bringing me to a humiliation that was both frightening and liberating. What Tom knew that I didn’t was that humbleness rather than stubborn pride was the precursor to growth. As our relationship became intimate, I would stand in Tom’s shadow, witnessing undaunted bravery, while vicariously learning the skills of expressive courage.

By the second semester of sophomore year, I would take my first inspired step towards transformation. Dr. Walton, a man whose greatest love was to profess his sociological wisdom, would inform me that his ten years as a professor at Virginia Tech would be over, and that two other professors in the Department of Sociology would share the same fate. It turns out that his entire career at this university was spent as an adjunct professor, which means his contract was renewed every semester, despite the fact that he had an impeccable teaching record and had applied for a permanent teaching position several times for which he had obviously been denied. This was the department’s method of keeping a conservative budget. By paying him a couple thousand dollars per class, the department was saving their funds by denying him any benefits or permanent salary. Finally, after saving up for a decade, the department was able to take on a new permanent professor to teach minority relations. They deemed Dr. Walton and the other two adjuncts that had been teaching longer than Walton unfit for the position because they were of Caucasian background and therefore not appropriate to teach such a class.

Recognizing the racism, discrimination, and injustice my beloved professor was enduring, I decided to do something about it. After discussing the issue with a few more faculty members, I wrote a petition in defense of the three adjuncts’ teaching positions. The petition stirred up much controversy within the department and university. Throughout the following week I would receive a variety of emails, some threatening me to end the petition, some complimenting me for bringing the serious issue to light. In the end, the interim head requested that I meet with him in his office. In our meeting, Dr. Michaels would attempt to belittle me, threaten me, and interrogate me of the facts he claimed were false in my petition. Giving me little space to explain that it was his actual faculty and staff who provided me with all the information, Dr. Michaels would cheaply compare me to a Saturday Night Live skit where a woman activist ranted and raved uncontrollably while her peers tried to subdue her and inform her that all her ideas were unfounded and wrong.

I left Dr. Michaels’ office feeling small, helpless, and discouraged. I felt my efforts were trivial, and that if anything, I had damaged my professor’s reputation. But Tom wouldn’t have that, and he encouraged me to fight back. Since I was emotionally involved, I was blinded by Dr. Michaels’ intentions to destroy my confidence, but with Tom’s faith in me, I restored my self-confidence and responded to Dr. Michaels and the rest of the university with a letter through electronic mail. In this letter I first addressed the issue of the department’s budget, as Dr. Michaels corrected my informants and myself on a few issues. Second, I encouraged my peers, colleagues, and also the president of the university to watch “Saturday Night Live,” as Dr. Michaels apparently suggested that it has educational value. I also mentioned that my friends Bob and Mary Jo would start watching “Friends” to learn about friendship while my father would start watching “Dallas” to learn about marriage. The letter was well-received by students and faculty alike, as several of my professors mentioned that after being humored, immediately forwarded it to their colleagues and spouses.

Most importantly, the petition helped Dr. Walton’s position. Not only were all three adjunct positions preserved, but Dr. Walton went from adjunct professor to Visiting Assistant Professor and now has an office to himself rather than sharing an office with two other people. A year and a half later, Dr. Walton would tell me that he was doing very well, and that he owed me a little thanks for defending him when he was defenseless.

That step I took to defend my professor was the first of many. Proudly, I am now a frequent columnist and political cartoonist for the university’s student run newspaper. I am also a Resident Advisor and supervise over forty residents. In the beginning of my junior year, I founded Virginia Tech’s Forensics Education Organization, an organization focused on aiding students who were pursuing legal professions including law, law enforcement, forensic psychology, and forensic science. I owe much gratitude to Tom for my accomplishments, for he was the one who never lost faith in me, and loved me when I could not know or understand myself.

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(c)2002 nicomacheanus. a vandel work by vanco productions.