Attending Student Activities

It brings me joy to be a part of my students' lives and they, too, leave an impression on me. Below are several examples of student activities that I have attended during my time at Florida Southern. In turn, this page also represents the relationships I have developed with my students.

Florida Southern Intramural Bowling Champions (Fall 2022)

I have gone bowling for enjoyment ever since high school. I was not particularly good, but I find it fun. When I came to Florida Southern, I join a bowling league. Through that experience I learned a lot about oil patterns and other aspects of the game. I also improved my form, got some gear, and got my bowling balls fitted to my hand. All those made a huge difference to my game, but most influential was the coaching I had received from the others on my team who had been bowling much longer than me.

In the fall of 2022, I was asked by a Florida Southern computer science faculty to join the computer science bowling team to compete in their intramural tournament. This tournament was held at the AMF bowling lanes in Lakeland. The computer science faculty was also a bowler and teammate. The other two teammates were students, one of which had previously taken my calculus 1 course. While at the event, all teams bowled two games. Our team ranked as the highest team average and won the tournament. Below is a picture of me with the winning team.  

Attending "SOCO Showcases" at Florida Southern

The SOCO Showcase is a student organization that provides students on campus a venue to practice live singing and musical performances. In fall 2021, a student in my calculus 1 course, Jared Squires, invited me to come to a SOCO Showcase event where he would be performing some cover songs. Prior to meeting Jared, I had another student, Zane Skipper, in both my Elementary Statistics and Contemporary Math courses who was the president of this organization. Both Zane and Jared were regular participants and went to see many of their performances. I even met Zane's mother during one of the shows in his senior year. Below are some pictures of the events.

I was named a "Person of Positive Influence" by a Former Student

In all my courses, I get a sense of the current skill set and past experiences of my students so that I can push them to grow and become better than they were before. Two ways that I guide my students through that learning process is by having them revise incorrect work and by how I individually check in with my students about how their semester is going. 

One student in particular wanted to express their appreciation of my efforts to help them grow. In spring 2018, a student on the women’s lacrosse team, Aubriana Benedetto, nominated me as a person who had a positive influence on her while at Florida Southern. Aubriana was a biology major and had taken my calculus 1 course. 

As part of this recognition, all nominated faculty attended a lacrosse game on March 14, 2018, and were introduced at half time. The faculty were also invited to a post-game tailgate with the team and their families. Below are some pictures of the event.

Attending Student Orchestra Performances

Some of my students are involved in the school's orchestra or various ensembles. Zoe Perkins, who took my Elementary Statistics course in spring 2019, was one of the musicians at Florida Southern. She invited me to see her performance with the orchestra at Florida Southern's Christmas Gala. Below is a picture of me and my wife with Zoe after the performance.

Viewing a Lunar Eclipse with the Florida Southern Astronomy Club

The astronomy club at Florida Southern sometimes has a gathering to host a viewing of an astronomical event that can be seen in Florida. One year there was a lunar eclipse that was visible in totality from Lakeland, FL. My wife and I went to the event to see the moon through a telescope, and to discuss the physics of the event with local astronomers and Ron Pepino, chair of physics. I also met with several former students. Below is a picture of the eclipse taken from my phone through the telescope viewing piece.

Attending Florida Southern Sporting Events

I try to attend sporting events for the student athletes that are in my classes. I've had student athletes from just about every sport on campus, including waterskiing. I attended a soccer game at Florida Southern’s home in fall 2019. Several former and current students of mine were on the team. I attended a basketball game at Florida Southern’s home in fall 2019. Two students on the team had taken a course with me. Trey Jones was a student on the team who took my Linear Algebra course, and EJ Dambreville was a former student from my Elementary Statistics course. 

Below is a picture of me with the Florida Southern mascot at the basketball game. 

The following are other ways I have attended student events:

• I have attended the Florida Southern's Math Department Welcome Back Picnic for students each fall. At these picnics I can introduce myself to new freshman and catch up with other students. 

• I have attended several student productions from the music department.

• I have attended many student talks during Florida Southern's Fiat Lux. I had mentored several honor's thesis projects and those students were presenting their project and results. By attending these talks, I can be privy to the research of other students on campus.

• I have attended several student alumni presentations about her experiences in an internship or at graduate school.

• I have attended each KME math honor society induction banquet for the new inductees.