My Geneseo Moment
Position: President, Gavilan College
Major: English & Elementary Education
"Dr. Ron Herzman was one of my English faculty members at Geneseo, and I was thrilled he made the time to come see me at the alumni event in September. I took my first course with Dr. Herzman in Chaucer as a sophomore. I was a farm girl and had no idea what I was doing taking that class, but he made old English and the storytelling very significant in the life of a 20-year old. I went on to take a couple of sections of Shakespeare from him. I learned how to write and express myself and read literature in a deeper way. I have a quote in my office from Thich Nhat Hanh – 'Understanding is the fruit of looking deeply' – and I attribute that idea to my time with Dr. Herzman. It wasn’t until I took courses like those with Ron that I understood the depth of the great authors of literature – that I could think deeply. And once you understand that, it really changes one’s life.”