BY MARYAM SHAHID (CS/I)
Sarah Melissa Stevens Hassell is an instructor in the Faculty Academic English program. Her academic background is in anthropology; she has been teaching English for 16 years, and teaching writing for 9 years. Ms. Hassell moved from the United States to Turkey two years ago.
Why did you become a university instructor?
It gives me a chance to interact with people from different cultures and experience diversity. It allows me to understand people and get to know why they act the way do. When I was teaching in America, I had a class with over 15 nationalities.
Why/how did you choose Bilkent?
That’s where the job was! I moved to Turkey to experience a different culture and was led to Bilkent.
What excites you about your work?
The students! I love getting to know people, meeting students from different cultures and seeing how they adapt to the new environment and adjust to the cultural norms.
When and where do you do your best thinking?
While walking! I walk from East Campus to Main quite frequently, and that’s where I do most of my thinking.
What distracts you?
People talking while I’m talking, because then I’m just curious to know what they’re talking about, and I go like, “Psst, whatcha talking about?”
What are you most curious about?
Everything! I’m generally a very curious person, but what I’m most curious about is why people in a certain culture act a certain way; what makes them stick to their cultural norms, regardless of whether they are positive or negative. Also, why they judge people who are deviant – the ones who choose not to follow the cultural norms of the society.
What’s the most common misconception about your work?
People tend to think that teaching a language only requires knowing a language. However, it’s much more complex than that. Not everyone can do it. You need certain dynamics to teach a language.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
Reading and knitting.
What books have influenced you the most, and why?
It varies. There are books that I enjoyed in my 20s that I might not relish now. And there are books I enjoy reading now that I might not have liked before.
What was the last book you read?
“The Glassblower’s Apprentice.”
If you were not a professor, what career would you choose?
A travel blogger. Just traveling and writing blogs.
What’s the secret to leading a happy life?
Chocolate! And also friendship.
If you could go back to your undergraduate/graduate student years, what advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell myself to take more risks. If there’s a professor that you connect with, work with him/her. If there’s an internship in front of you, take it. Because it’s things like these that lead you to a turning point for the start of your career.