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My name is John Krigbaum and one of two influencers I remember was Jean Flack, an environmental studies professor who was assigned to me day one of my freshman year at the University of Vermont. I was a pre-med student but didn’t know what I really wanted to do (I was going through the motions) and we would meet 3-4 times each semester and connect and catch up. I was floundering one day and she pulled a book off the shelf and said — read this — it was a book by John McPhee called ‘Oranges’. It had nothing to do with anything but the book taught me so much about why curiosity and creativity and history matter. After reading it, cover to cover, and with her guidance, I decided to shift my program plan and design my own major — and I have not looked back, and her simply stating ‘why not’? made me realize I could do anything well as long as I actively listened to my heart in the process (while in college and as a lifelong learner)

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I have two inspirations…

I was inspired by some of my undergraduate engineer professors because they did not think I belonged in engineering so the motivation mantra became “ I will show you I do belong and can be successful.”

In my doctoral program Dr Tara Parker was my professor and dissertation chairperson and she motivated me to share my passion through my dissertation and demonstrated how I should move through academia.

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Leon Belin - my advisor who brought me out of my shell and taught me to live my passion. He gave me the opportunity to run his Saturday Morning Dream Machine. An art program, offered to inner city low income kids in Chicago. This experience changed my life!

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Dr. Helling was my Organic Chem professor at the University of Florida. I was a premed student who really had no future as a doctor; chem and bio were not my strong suits. He called me into his office one day to ask me why I was taking Organic Chem - for the second time - if I was struggling with the most basic concepts. I told him that my dad expected me to become a doctor, even though that was not something I wanted to do. Dr. Helling’s “counseling” session with me led me to not only find the courage to tell my dad I was not going to become a doctor; that “counseling” session helped me become a counselor and earn my PhD in counseling. I went back to UF 15 years after that encounter to thank him.

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My senior thesis advisor helped me realize that emotional wellbeing can be as important (maybe more so) to the writing process as academic understanding—that confidence, among other things, is key.

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As a student of Jeff Frank, I felt seen and treated with moral seriousness and care. It transformed my life.

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My influencer was my high school English teacher who made it a point to call on me during discussions, knowing I was shy but had solid ideas. She went out of her way to help me afford fees and travel for debate tournaments, an extra curricular I would never have been able to participate in otherwise. She inspired me to compete in debate during all 4 years of high school and in college and, eventually, I also became an English teacher. Her belief in me helped build my confidence and led me to take more risks in academics and in life.

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Shout-out to Eric Mazur—so blessed that he agreed to be my faculty advisor after I switched majors to physics with an interest in education! I had the opportunity to TA Eric's innovative class and felt really empowered by how he turned to me for advice from an undergrad perspective when dealing with tricky student situations. Happy to talk about his class too if you see me!

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Dr. Lynne Bejoian, director, office for students with disabilities at University of Southern California who hired me as her work study student the first week of my freshman year in 1989 who then involved me… as an 18 year old in 1990

When the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law to figure out how that applied at USC. She inspired me to a career in Higher Ed supporting students!

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My influencer was one of my accounting professors many many years ago who told me never to give up and that I can do anything I dreamed of doing. He was always available for us students at any time. This was BC … Before cellphones and computers.

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Vincent Cheng did more than believe in me, he advocated for me and taught me to advocate for myself. He also modeled a high commitment to teaching, inspiring me to never forget that the primary mission of the university.

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My mentor was my academic advisor and professor in three courses who sat with me in the midst of my deepest questions; he didn’t given me the answers but offered the kind of patient care that enabled me to find the answers myself. Since my parents didn’t graduate from college, he gave me the sense of why teaching college could be a transformational vocation. I am professor today because of him.

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Undergraduate Anthropology professor who helped me define and embrace my cultural identity.

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My inspiration was Dr. Julie Hurtig whose contagious energy, deep caring for students, and passion for electrical engineering helped me find my calling to serve engineering students.

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I shared about Dr Alan Brown from Florida Tech. He took me under his wing for years of undergraduate research in organic chemistry. He also helped me publish papers, present at conferences, learn about independent reaearxh and saved my life when the bromine evaporator malfunctioned.

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Dr. Rick Cypert, who said I should consider graduate school and didn’t laugh when I said “what is that, and why would I do it?” He helped me discern whether that was a good path for me, helped me get there, and we were later colleagues. And I attended that graduate program with Bill Bolin, who was highlighted as another person’s mentor! 🙂

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While there were MANY faculty who were amazing, there were many staff members as well. In particular, my supervisors at my undergraduate job at the student fitness center. They believed in me provided me with opportunities that helped me learn who I am and what I am capable of.

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My Voice Coach

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Prof. Jay Scott Chipman, arrives at my undergraduate institution my junior year at a time when I had no idea how I was going to use my major. He showed me that the way to use my major was any way that allowed me to thrive, and then taught me (and every other student in his care) what it meant to really teach, and care, and take time for his students, and find ourselves. He made me who I am today, and helped me understand the purpose of education.

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It was actually my senior HS math teacher, Mr. Booker. I was the class clown, but he believed in me and I didn’t want to fail him. At the end of the year, I shocked everyone at the all school awards when my name was announced for having the highest grades in trig and analytical geometry.

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One of my Emglish professors always told us that every job and every experience we have weaves itself into our ongoing career story in a meaningful way, even if we can't see the connections or lessons right away.

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My history professor who empowered me to own my own learning. Many of her courses involved role-playing that made history come alive and that engaged her students.

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My work study supervisor who taught me how to be organized and believed in me. It was Ms. Suzanne Gates

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Dr. Dewitt Jones. Professor of education that I didn’t have class with until my senior year. He was truly joyful when teaching, and when I doubted my career aspirations fueled me with a belief in myself and my classmates and cultivated community in such a way that it didn’t even feel like we were “in class” but in a true space of collaborative sharing and learning.

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The person who had the most influence on me was my doctoral chair / advisor. He never gave up on me, advocated for me, and always encouraged me to press on and keep asking questions. He has significantly shaped how I teach others today.

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My engineering research advisor pushed me to learn beyond "the scope required"

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Professor William Malcuit inspired me to educate others and inspired my love of reading

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