The Voice of Wilkinson reached out to the newest members of our community and asked them a few questions. We wanted to find out why they chose Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and what it means to be a part of the heart and soul of Chapman University. It wasn’t all business, however, we threw in some “fun” questions along the way.

Nancy Rios-Contreras

Nancy Rios-Contreras
Assistant Professor of Sociology

Voice of Wilkinson: Wilkinson is the heart and soul of Chapman University. What does being the heart and soul of this amazing university mean to you?

Nancy Rios-Contreras: The heart and soul reflect the connection between students and faculty and the value Wilkinson places in caring about the well-being of the Chapman community. I am interested in the campus-wide conversations occurring through platforms like Wilkinson’s Engaging the World initiative about societal issues, including the significance of race and environmental justice. As a criminologist that studies the sociology of migration, Wilkinson is an inviting space for interdisciplinary scholarship to flourish and for students to pursue diverse programming in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

VoW: Share a fun fact with us.

NR: My dog Frida is an Australian Shepherd, and she is named after Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Frida is a rescue pup from New Jersey. She is the perfect companion during cross-country road trips and loves cruising on the back car seat. Frida loves toy balls, treats, and the beach.

VoW: Why Chapman?

NR: I am drawn to Chapman University because it is a student-centered academic institution that places value on high research activity. I am excited to collaborate with colleagues in the Sociology department, research centers, and departments across campus. I find it is meaningful to recognize that around 40% of undergraduate students at Chapman identify as a person of color and 20% as first-generation. As a Latinx faculty of color, I value mentorship opportunities to support students from diverse backgrounds. I look forward to engaging with the Chapman community and bringing the Chapman spirit to international transborder spaces as I research migration.

Samantha Dressel

Samantha Dressel
Assistant Professor, Instructional Faculty in English

VoW: Wilkinson is the heart and soul of Chapman University. What does being the heart and soul of this amazing university mean to you?

Samantha Dressel: To me, the humanities truly are the heart of any educational curriculum because they allow students (college students and lifelong learners!) to fully explore themselves as people.  The sciences can explain how the world works, but a humanistic education is vital for using that knowledge to spread good.  The humanities build empathy and an understanding of the human condition.  At Chapman, this process is exemplified by the Engaging the World series.  We pilot the discussion of vital contemporary issues, and push students to think beyond their comfort zones about the world around them.  We also are at the core of pushing for social justice change across the university.

VoW: Tell us the most interesting place you have traveled to.

SD: One of my favorite trips was to the Amazon rainforest during high school, when the trip was organized by our school principal.  We stayed in a hotel in the middle of the rainforest which was a series of towers connected by bridges in the lower and upper canopies.  It was completely thrilling to be in the middle of all of that wildlife. I would love to go back in my adult life, without a chaperone!  Another place I’m hoping to go soon is Iceland. I love both nature-oriented trips, and ones with the chance to explore other cultures and their museums, and Iceland has amazing options for both.

VoW: Share a fun fact with us.

SD: I am a second-degree blackbelt in Aikido and teach in my own dojo in Irvine (Aikido Kokikai OC).  Aikido is a martial art dedicated to non-violent self-defense and focuses on using the attacker’s force against them.  The motto of my branch is “minimum effort, maximum effect.”  I actually started Aikido in college because of a gym requirement, but I fell in love with the art!

VoW: Why Chapman?

SD: I love Chapman because of the student-centered teaching model.  Personally, one of my favorite parts of being a professor is getting to share my nerdy interests with students, and vice-versa. Chapman’s focus on the student experience means that it is literally my job to engage with students outside of class about their passions, which is constantly exciting and rewarding.

Luke A. Nichter

Luke A. Nichter
James H. Cavanaugh Chair in Presidential Studies, Professor of History

VoW: Wilkinson is the heart and soul of Chapman University. What does being the heart and soul of this amazing university mean to you?

Luke Nichter: I am a strong believer in the value of a traditional liberal arts education. The fact that Chapman has maintained this focus even while enhancing its status as a research university in recent years is extremely impressive. It is what drew me to the university.

VoW: What’s your favorite movie and/or book?

LN: Most of my viewing and watching lately has had to do with the 1960s, since I’ve been researching a book on the 1968 presidential election. I’ve been diving into some of the classics of the civil rights movement, antiwar leaders, and the Paris peace talks to end American involvement in Vietnam. One of the more interesting parts of this reading has been getting to know better the South Vietnamese perspective, which often goes overlooked in narratives of the year and the final period of the war. Interviews with people like Bui Diem, Hoang Duc Nha, and Anna Chennault help to clear up mysteries and fill in gaps in the documentary record.

VoW: Share a fun fact with us.

LN: I had no intention of being a historian. My first undergraduate major was music performance. The trombone was my primary instrument, but I loved anything brass. When one door closes, another opens.

VoW: Why Chapman?

LN: I come from a place with three presidential libraries (Johnson, Bush 41, and Bush 43), to a place with two (Nixon and Reagan). A focus on presidential studies is an obvious fit for Chapman, and the region, and the chance to work with great colleagues and passionate students is something I would not want to miss!

Adwoa Opong

Adwoa Opong
Assistant Professor, African History

VoW: Wilkinson is the heart and soul of Chapman University. What does being the heart and soul of this amazing university mean to you?

AO: Working together, the heart and soul constitute the essence of humanity, and I am very honored to be part of this dynamic community. In a world that is constantly changing and seeking, being at the heart and soul of Chapman is an opportunity to join a network of scholars whose research opens doors into worlds far and near, who put a human face on otherwise incomprehensible issues, and are committed to pursuing research that advances the course of humanity. I look forward to building on the strengths of Wilkinson and its collaborative engagements across the campus and beyond.

VoW: Tell us the most interesting place you have traveled to.

AO: The gorgeous Forbidden City in Beijing China, which was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. One place I would love to travel to is the Himalayan Mountains in India.

VoW: What would the personal section of your Wikipedia page say?

AO: The personal section of my Wikipedia page would simply say “A Historian by profession, teacher at heart, loves to cook and laugh, and an aspiring DIYer….lol”

VoW: Share a fun fact with us.

AO: History was my least favorite subject in high school.

Ana Palomar

Ana Palomar
Instructional Assistant Professor of Spanish

VoW: Why Chapman?

AP: Chapman’s personalized education fills me with so much joy and I take pride in fulfilling the university’s mission of equipping students to impact the world as global citizens.

 

VoW: Tell us the most interesting place you have traveled to.

AP: The most interesting place I have traveled to is the Museo de las momias or Mummy Museum in Guanajuato, Mexico. I hope to travel to Cuba one day to meet more of my family.

VoW: What’s your favorite movie and/or book?

AP: One of my favorite movies is Grease because part of it was filmed at my high school in Huntington Park, CA! One of my favorite children’s books is Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. I’m currently reading The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

VoW: Wilkinson is the heart and soul of Chapman University. What does being a part of the heart and soul of this amazing university mean to you?

AP: Being a part of the heart and soul of Wilkinson College at Chapman University inspires me to impact others to be creative, compassionate and lead with purpose.

Nora K. Rivera

Nora K. Rivera
Assistant Professor of English

VoW: What would the personal section of your Wikipedia page say?

NR: I would hope that my personal Wikipedia page acknowledges that I am passionate about language, writing, and technology, and that I am a fervent advocate of Indigenous languages, practices, and knowledges. I’m afraid that my Wikipedia page would also reveal that I am a bad cook.

VoW: Why Chapman?

NR: I love that Chapman is committed to providing a personalized educational experience that engages with global ethical views. Chapman is a great fit for me because it offers me the opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary and culturally inclusive environment, which are core aspects of my academic work both as an educator and as a researcher. Also, Chapman’s leadership, faculty, and students make this university a welcoming and pleasant place of which to be part.

VoW: Share a fun fact with us.

NR: A fun fact about me is that I’m learning to read Mayan ancient writing, which was based on logograms (symbols that represent ideas) and syllabograms (symbols that represent syllables). It was also highly stylistic. I think of it as a mix of traditional writing—with grammar rules, prefixes, suffixes, and even infixes—and digital design. Ancient Mayan writers had several variants for each symbolic representation, and they decided what variant to use depending on the space of the stone or book, and also depending on how minimalistic or how ornate they wanted to be, similar to what digital designers now do.

Ian James Romain

Ian James Romain
Instructional Assistant Professor of Spanish 

VoW: Wilkinson is the heart and soul of Chapman University. What does being a part of the heart and soul of this amazing university mean to you?

IR: Teaching in Wilkinson provides me with the invaluable opportunity to impart skills to students that make up the foundation for success in almost any field or profession. To quote anthropology professor Melissa Cheyney, all successful careers require critical thinking, teamwork, sensitivity to cultural, demographic, economic and societal differences as well as political perspectives. Wilkinson College is where the essential work of a liberal arts education takes place and that is why I am happy to be here!

VoW: Tell us the most interesting place you have traveled to.

IR: The ancient city of Teotihuacán (just north of Mexico City). The places I most hope to visit soon are the countries of Chile, Ecuador, and Perú in South America, as well as the Mayan ruins of Tikal in Guatemala.

VoW: Share a fun fact with us.

IR: I have visited every state in the U.S. except Hawaii, and I have traveled to more than 40 countries. Another fun fact is that I speak three languages fluently (English, Spanish and Portuguese) and am learning a fourth, Japanese.

VoW: What would the personal section of your Wikipedia page say?

IR: I was born in Kansas City, Missouri but grew up in a small town in Kansas. I moved to Chicago for college (to attend the University of Chicago) when I was 18. I lived a year in Madrid, Spain before moving to California for graduate school. I am married to my lovely wife Mika whom I met while studying at UCLA, and we have two adorable children, Ike (2 yrs) and Mae (5 mos).

Richelle Tanner

Richelle Tanner
Assistant Professor, Environmental Science & Policy Program (Wilkinson & Schmidt)

VoW: Wilkinson is the heart and soul of Chapman University. What does being the heart and soul of this amazing university mean to you?

RT: A liberal arts education is a valuable experience for any student, no matter their intended career, to be a thoughtful member of society. Being part of Wilkinson is a way for me to find connections to society and people in my teaching and research, and I’m excited to expand my horizons with ideas from my new colleagues and our students.

VoW: Share a fun fact with us.

RT: I have an undergraduate degree in jazz performance from the USC Thornton School of Music, and have been playing piano since I was 4. You can still hear some of my compositions and arrangements being played by USC’s jazz orchestras.

VoW: Why Chapman?

RT: Chapman was the only school that offered me an opportunity to engage students in truly interdisciplinary research across the humanities and sciences. I’m really excited to learn from my new colleagues and continue to engage our communities – inside and outside of the university – in solutions for climate resilience.