LIFE

Featured Teacher: Emily Peterson

Instructor Emily Peterson. MICHAEL MISCHLER | WASHTENAW VOICE

By, Michael Mischler
Contributor

Emily Peterson, 5 years at WCC, part-time humanities teacher, teaches Ethical and Legal Issues in Healthcare, Ann Arbor

Q: Why did you choose to work at WCC instead of a larger college or university?
A: I do actually work at both, but I love WCC because of the diversity of students. I have people who have real-life experience, and in a class on ethics, it is very important to have people who have a perspective on life. I teach at Michigan.

Q: What is the most satisfying part of your job?
A: When students see how the course relates to their life.

Q: What is the proudest moment of your career?
A: Anytime I have a student who still remembers something years later and comes back and tells me how it mattered. It feels good.

Q: What do you like to do the most in your spare time?
A: I am a mom, so I hang out with my kids.

Q: What is your favorite thing to listen to and why?
A: I listen to NPR, because it has grown-ups talking, it’s not children-based, and everything else in my life is very kid-focused, so I like having a good source of news with actual analysis. I like All Things Considered.

Q: What is your favorite food and why?
A: Chocolate, because it makes everything better.

Q: What advice would you give to new WCC students?
A: Find a class or a group that makes this community feel like home to you.

Q: If you could go anywhere in the world for free, where and why?
A: I would take my dad to Norway because he’s always wanted to explore the Viking roots of our family.

Q: What is your motivation that gets you out of bed in the morning?
A: I get such positive feedback and energy from the students, and I really feel like we have a good connection, and that feels good to me.

Q: What is the thing you most look forward to in life?
A: My children’s happiness. I have two, a seven-year-old and a three-year-old.