Written by Ana Ortiz-Mejias
Professors are more than their Ph.Ds. As students, we interact with our professors from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. in class, during office hours, and over email. These interactions provide a limited view of the person standing in front of the class. “I am your professor, but at the same time, I am a human being you can connect to,” said Bobby Karimi, a visiting Geology professor. Various experiences and interests make up a person, not just a professor.
Born in Canada, Karimi began his undergraduate career at McGill University in Montreal, finishing undergrad and attending graduate school at the University of Pittsburg. “Undergrad was fun, although academically I struggled for a bit,” he explained. Karimi did not always know he wanted to pursue Geology; in fact, he was initially interested in mechanical engineering. “There were classes I got to I was just not interested in. They were boring for me, and then I realized if I were to be a mechanical engineer, that is a desk job for the rest of my life.” Karimi took initiative and the next summer sat in on as many classes as he could, including Introduction to Earth Science. From that point on, Karimi knew he wanted to be a Geologist. “There are those classes that grip you and feel effortless, you can work hours and hours without realizing it,” he said. Karimi spent countless hours working to achieve a Ph.D. in Geology, the field he loves. “Overall, I nerded out pretty hard,” Karimi said proudly. “It was during grad school and teaching when I realized I do have a contribution to make. Teaching was the one thing that gave me instant gratification.” Karimi emphasized that, with time, things will fall into place, as they did for him. Teaching not only inspired his passions but eventually allowed him the opportunity to teach at Colorado College.
Adapting to the Block Plan has had its fair share of benefits and setbacks for Karimi. Luckily, the Block Plan works well for most Geology classes. There are no interruptions from other courses, allowing students more time to study in the field. “The Block Plan really does make a tight-knit community because I think everybody is kind of forced to interact with everybody else at one point or another,” Karimi explained. However, abrupt problems can arise on the Block Plan, making it hard not just for Karimi, but all professors. Three and a half week blocks only allow for so much time to adapt to certain student’s needs. The flexibility and uncertainty of a block makes it hard for prior planning. “We struggle with the Block Plan as much as you guys do and we benefit from it as much as you guys do. It’s hard to think about it, but we do pretty much have the same reaction to things. It creates an equity amongst people,” Karimi said. Professors are experiencing each and every moment and putting in hard work alongside each student; there is always something to learn from one other, no matter the position.
While consistently faced with work, research, and teaching, Bobby has managed to squeeze in the little things he loves. During his college career he was part of Model UN, IRSam, Geo Club, and Theater. Karimi described how he “also started something called Pitlanda, which was a graduate queer society facilitating discussions between alumni, faculty, staff, administration, and students in regards to transgender rights and issues on campus.” Karimi also spent free time socializing, clubbing, drinking wine, and cooking food—through which he was able to experiment and find out more about himself.
“I’ll be honest and admit that when faced with being in the outdoors or just watching Netflix and ordering food, it’s pretty much a tossup on what’s going to end up happening. The delivery man may or may not know that I am ordering for just one person,” he said, whilst laughing. A relaxed night for Karimi entails good food and watching Korean dramas.
“I still have to go to the DMV, I have to go grocery shopping—all the little annoyances, I think of those as being a part of me as a non-Ph.D.,” Karimi stated. There is an actual human being behind that piece of paper; a human that loves chocolate or traveling as much as you do. No matter the circumstance, situation, or position, all humans connect in various ways. Be aware of that—there can be so much shared and learned through connection.