Drawing on their own experiences and passions to better support Lone Star College-CyFair’s students in their academic and future lives are four deserving winners of the Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award.
Feeling humbled, respected, grateful, honored and more for this recognition are Cynthia Gernhart, a musician, LiAundra Grace, a writer, Linda Gross, a science educator, and Irene Ko, a dancer and two-time excellence award recipient.
Gernhart, a first-generation college student passionate about helping others be successful in their college experience and not just check a box on a degree plan, has taught at LSC-CyFair since 2014, beginning with First Year Experience courses and transitioning to music appreciation in 2017.
Proven to positively affect the brain, music can help a person boost their mood or relax and make life better, she said. In her music class, student engagement and embracing diversity is key to accommodating varied learning styles and abilities as she seeks to encourage and transform the college student’s experience.
“I seek to be a part of something that transcends our semester together and truly leaves an imprint on each student’s life, whether it’s gaining a deeper relationship with and understanding of music, sharpening critical thinking abilities or developing the technical skills to thrive in the online environment,” said Gernhart.
Grace began teaching at LSC-CyFair in 2019 with a desire for her English students to have a more enjoyable and enriched experience while finding their voice than she had until she attended graduate school.
“English Comp, especially Comp II, is nothing more than life,” she said. “The tools given to aid students in becoming better writers, readers, listeners and communicators are the exact tools they will need to navigate and negotiate their way through life.”
In addition, Grace is dedicated to providing a collaborative learning environment in which students have a safe place to make mistakes as well as navigate assignments, in class and at home, with confidence.
Since 2005, Gross has taught astronomy and physics classes at LSC-CyFair as interactive as possible to make science tangible for both her college and Dual Credit students.
“I love teaching my subjects. Reacquainting students with our own solar system and introducing them to the wonders of the universe is extremely satisfying. Hearing the gasps of excitement the first time students see the moon, Jupiter, and especially Saturn, through a telescope still makes me smile,” she said. “Then, there is physics - the subject that many students dread, but the subject that explains everything – so I try to make my classes fun for my students.”
Ko, a Julliard School of Dance graduate and 2017 winner of LSC-CyFair’s Adjunct Excellence Award, said she has received support and trust from her colleagues, strived to be a positive influence on others and loved teaching dance at the college since 2014.
“I am always happy being around students,” said Ko, who had to develop her classes for an online format during the pandemic. “We still study through online classes, but also try to meet periodically in person, so they can enjoy learning more about dance – the ultimate expression of our being. I want to tap into each student’s potential and create opportunities for them to bring their gifts to life.”
These four outstanding instructors were recently recognized at the campus convocation and will be honored again at the LSC system’s upcoming awards event.
It’s not too late to register for spring classes with multiple Next Start options available. For information, go to LoneStar.edu/regcyfair or LoneStar.edu/nextstartcyfair.