Failure doesn’t have to be an ending point. It can be a starting one. STUDENT: Alyssa Haney ’14, Spanish and Sociology MENTOR: Michelle Robertson, associate professor of Sociology The value of mentors: They teach lessons that have real-world implications. “Dr. Robertson also taught me the importance of punctuality and organization,” she says. “I have been able to apply this to many settings, whether that’s group projects or just replying to emails in a respectful amount of time.” The backstory: During a study abroad trip to Uruguay in 2012, Haney learned about a new program being developed by two teachers at the high school where she was volunteering. On paper, the initiative looked remarkable: They were using the poetry of a famous Uruguayan poet to help high-school students discuss violence against women. Haney knew
STUDENT: Rene Soto ’13, Computer Science MENTOR: Laura Baker, professor of Computer Science The value of mentors: They’re always in your corner. “I know that Dr. Baker’s office door is wide open, and I can go in anytime I need her help,” says Soto. The backstory: Computer science can be an intimidating topic, vexing even the brightest students. For Soto, a single bad grade on an exam nearly put him into a tailspin. But Baker helped him get back on track. “She reminded me not to let one exam determine my fate. ‘When you look at everything in the big picture, that one exam is just a tiny little dot on the spectrum,’ she said. ‘You’re a smart guy, Rene, and I know
she wanted to write about the program for her honors thesis. There was just one problem, says Haney. “In the school where I was studying, the impoverished conditions completely got in the way of the success of the literature curriculum,” she says. “In the end, the program that I thought would be so amazing failed.” The experience might have ended there except for the guidance of Robertson. “When I came back, Dr. Robertson helped me realize this [failure] in and of itself was something worth analyzing, even though I felt like my project was a complete loss,” she says. “She suggested lots of reading, and I learned more about how community poverty affects many aspects of society, including education policy. That became the new focus of my research. I went into the study with one idea of how things would turn out, but the end result was completely different. She helped me realize that this is what conducting research is all about.”
you will learn from this and do better on the next one. You just have to look past these small obstacles and keep moving forward.’” It was just a few encouraging sentences, but for Soto, it made all the difference. “Having Dr. Baker personally tell me that she had faith in me, along with the idea of putting everything into perspective, has by far been the most influential thing anyone has done to motivate me throughout my academic career,” Soto says. Success comes not from the achievements themselves but from the passion that drives the discoveries. “Success and immense satisfaction from one’s line of work doesn’t come with the desire to accrue monetary wealth or material things,” he says. “Achievements in a profession for which one has a passion provide immense and lasting satisfaction.” 13
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