Survey Results

Part one: This will not be your average course evaluation for one simple reason: This was not your average course. I could drone with the typical reflections on organization, workload, and Instructional material: of which Dr. Compoc always ranks well above average. Yes, I can speak to that fact as I have taken four of her upper-division courses and I have sat in on more than a handful of her guest lectures since the Fall of 2022. What guided my success the most in this course was Dr. Compoc’s mentorship skills. Yet, in this case, success goes so incredibly far beyond just a grade on a transcript. In this course, I had the opportunity to experience “career” defining moments that one would normally attribute to graduate-level studies, such as presenting at a research conference and sculpting one’s political voice in their writing. But what do I mean by mentorship skills? Simply put, without Dr. Compoc’s continued enthusiasm, encouragement, flexibility, and professional guidance I would not have left this course, or this university (in December 2024), anywhere near the level of student that I am today. But perhaps even more importantly, I would not be the person that I am today. The single greatest piece of advice Dr. Compoc gave this semester was “Never be afraid to ask the difficult questions.” Those words will live with me for the rest of my life. As a student, you can tell Dr. Compoc loves her job and cares deeply about her students. She routinely goes above and beyond. In turn, this inspires us to work harder, to think more critically, and to further refine our voices. Along these lines, it is important to highlight that from the beginning, Dr. Compoc did not have to take on the extra workload inherent in advising a directed reading. Yet, time and time again, when I needed her input she was there, with a smile and straightforward yet powerful guidance. When I expressed my anxiety regarding the conference, being that it was my first one, she systematically talked me through how to deliver an excellent presentation. When the day of the presentation came, an audience member was so moved by the presentation that they were brought to tears and I received a near standing ovation. Dr. Compoc’s guidance undeniably helped to enable such an impactful moment. Ultimately, I left every one of our meetings with a greater sense of clarity, direction, and confidence in my work.

Part two: Her presence at our University makes me proud to call myself a Pueo; even though I am a distance education student. The physical and social distance inherent in distance education is effectively irrelevant, a non-issue, in Dr. Compoc’s courses. Please do note how rare that feeling is. Ultimately, I want to emphasize that I left this course feeling we had accomplished something that could truly change the world. Thus, this course will forever be a high watermark in my academic journey. My immediate career goal is to become a high school history / social studies teacher. I would retire a happy man if I inspired a single one of future students to one tenth of the degree that Dr. Compoc has done so for me.

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N/A- I only wish we had more time to continue this work!

See above: absolutely fantastic!