The Professor Who Changed My Life

Dr. Cos brought a very down-to-earth approach to a difficult major. He always had an open door and was able to assure me that I could excel in the field of engineering.

—DONALD “JOE” SALLS III ’07

I cried to him my senior year because ‘I wasn’t nearly as smart as my classmates,’ and I thought I could never make it in my profession. Struggled a lot. I thought I would be a failure.
He told me that I would be more successful than every single one of them because it’s not intellect that makes you successful, it’s personality, tenacity and devotion. He saw those traits in me before I even knew I had them.
Whenever I feel underqualified, I remember how he believed in me. Those words have gotten me through 20+ years in the industry.

—TIFFANIE DEMARIA ARTIGAS ’03 

Dr. Carroll highlighted how human factors was a methodical science and not just common sense. Just because something was clear and sensible to one person, doesn’t mean it will be clear and sensible to the average person.
The biggest way Dr. Carroll changed the entire course of my life was with a group project where she assigned the groups. 
She assigned me to a group with a fellow classmate, Adam Hruszczyk’14, ’17 M.S., and one thing led to another, and Adam and I have now been married for a year.

—SHERISSE PIERRE ’15, ’17 M.S. 

Dr. Kasweck was both a great instructor, as well as a fraternity brother and friend. As an advisor to TKE [Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity], he attended our meetings and functions and provided his valuable input. He showed a lot of personal interest in the students and had great school spirit.
He was a great example of how to be fair and even-handed as a professional and mentor, while at the same time, being approachable and part of the gang. This was a great lesson that I attempted to emulate in my career, first as a supervisor and later, as manager and business owner.
Ken would take a group of us out on his sailboat to teach us the basics of sailing in the Indian River, usually on Fridays after classes. We would raise the jolly roger on our outings and learn some ‘colorful’ nautical terms. It was great fun and a way to build teamwork, something that I will never forget.

—DANIEL ALESANDRO ’77

Rodd was able to help me find guidance as I completed my studies and throughout my college years as I got ready for the workforce. To this day, Rodd is a terrific mentor and friend who I look up to and call every so often to catch up and let him know about the latest in my life.

—KENNETH “KENNY” PEDEN ’16, ’18 MSA

Rodd had often encouraged me to pursue my doctoral degree, but I was unsure of which program would work best for me. My father had his doctoral degree, and obtaining my degree was a bucket list item.
In talking things through with Rodd, he mentioned that I should reach out to the program chair, Dr. Vogt, to see if my degree in student personnel administration could be suitable to still apply for acceptance into our Doctor of Business Administration program. … A few weeks later, I was accepted into the program.
The program was demanding and required commitment to complete, but I graduated in 2019 with my Doctor of Business Administration degree.

—GREG CONNELL ’19 DBA

Ralph accepted me into his lab to do undergraduate research, which allowed me to run experiments on my own and jump right into applied science as an early undergraduate.
I then attended his field course to Puerto Rico, where I first experienced scientific diving and field research, which changed and influenced the trajectory of my career. It was there I decided I wanted to pursue graduate school. 
Ralph mentored me and advised me to apply to the FastTrack program and worked with me to hone my research and laboratory skills so I could successfully graduate from this program with a thesis.
Later, after getting into the doctoral program at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Ralph also encouraged me (and my husband, Evan Tuohy ‘09) to not be afraid of paving our path in science that [may] be nontraditional.
This ultimately led to the creation of my business, Isla Mar, and set the stage for a successful and rewarding 10 years and counting as an independent marine scientist.
Ralph was the reader at my wedding. He and his wife, Joy, became like family to us. They traveled across the U.S. to attend my wedding in Texas, and we make it a point to see them when we are back in Florida whenever possible.
Thank you for believing in me and encouraging me to dream big and approach challenges with courage, especially in a male-dominated field of STEM, and to also remember that my quality of life is still the most important goal.

—CHELSEA HARMS-TUOHY ’10, ’11 M.S.

Dr. Szabo has a way of encouraging his students to celebrate their strengths. I was in my little world in class, and all I was trying to do was pass. Dr. Szabo saw something in me and provided me with the opportunity to make something out of the ordinary happen.
Additionally, Dr. Szabo nominated me for Outstanding Student of the Year, which was an award that I got to share with my dad before he passed.

—JEANEDEE MALENAB ’20 M.A.

He introduced me to the field of machine learning—and [to] an extent, natural language processing, too—by hiring me as a student researcher after my sophomore year (summer 2004).
The position was intended for graduate students, and I barely met the minimum course requirements to be considered. Our two-year collaboration sparked enough excitement that I’ve continued to research machine learning and NLP ever since.
Twenty years later, I now lead my research lab in industry (Kensho) and teach the subjects at MIT. If Philip hadn’t taken a chance on hiring me back then, my path would have taken a different shape.

—CHRIS TANNER ’06

Dr. Mohit taught me to ‘read the problem five times.’ I use that in every single area of my life. That’s next level. It forces you to slow down, absorb the details and avoid knee-jerk reactions.

—TIMOTHY “CHAZ” STEVENS ’87 

He taught that when you got engaged and committed to making a change, you can accomplish that.
With his guidance (before the widespread availability of infrared photography), we went into a mangrove swamp and placed white cotton sheets atop mangrove trees so aerial photos could be taken, thus mapping a part of the swamp that a developer had earmarked for destruction for a condo development. The effort was successful, and the development was never built.
Thanks to Hannon, I devoted my entire career to trying to effect change to protect the environment (and people) from short-sighted or simply wrong decisions that ignore ecological realities.

—KEVIN HYLTON ’79

Should I write about the kindness of his family sheltering me during the 2004 hurricanes? Or the countless hours he dedicated to listening to my presentations? The unwavering support through my academic journey? The insightful book recommendations? The conversations over meals at his home? All these moments profoundly shaped me.
Professor Tenali has been a guiding force in my life since 2001, providing constant inspiration and guidance. He instilled in me the importance of a growth mindset, profoundly shaping my path.
Through his teaching and research, he ignited my passion for differential equations, and I continue to aspire to his style. He’s been a steadfast mentor, offering unwavering support and encouragement. I continue to build upon the foundation he provided.

—KARTHIKEYA SAMEER KUMAR MAMILLAPALLE ’07 Ph.D.

Math wasn’t my strong point up until I met Nikos. It took a Greek to explain Greek, I guess.
He could tell I was struggling and that I had innate mathematical skills—but simply didn’t get it. Plus, my study habits were not mature. Nikos had me study the history of math, beginning with the Greek philosophers and onward through history, to understand the underpinnings of math and how it could be used in practical applications.
From the point I began as his student, my math skills improved dramatically, my study habits improved and this one opportunity set me on a career and life path that is still going strong today.

—KENNETH ANTHONY ’83

Nikos had a gift when it came to explaining mathematical concepts. He was one of the best teachers I had in all of the four degree programs associated with my Ph.D.

—James Ruetz ’78