Faculty News

"This one means a lot to me," said Math faculty Marcia Corby, referring to Phoenix College's 2024 Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA). The award is not her first teaching recognition – she won the Rodel Exemplary Teaching Award early in her career as an elementary school teacher – and it likely won't be her last. "It's an honor to be recognized by your peers," Marcia continued. "I love what I do. I'm living my best life. It's very humbling."

Anil credits his success as a teacher with remembering how much he struggled in school. Anil attended community college as an undergraduate and planned to study psychology, but he had to take a science class for non-science majors and took an environmental science class. "The instructor talked about the environment as if we could still do something about it, still fix it, so he lit a fire in me to do something in that field," Anil said. "I don't know what I'd be doing now if I hadn't found that community college teacher at the right time. It wouldn't be biology."

Rebecca brings a youthful spirit and sense of humor to her college classroom. She encourages anyone to learn ASL "because it's a beautiful language." As faculty, she helps students understand the concepts behind signing and show them which signs are better for specific situations or contexts. "I'm the kind of teacher that interacts with students, making a connection with them. Once that connection is established, the signing becomes easier."

Dr. Debbie Webster loves horror movies. Not the blood and guts variety, but scary movies with a psychological twist. Her favorite is The Conjuring. Not surprising, given she holds a Master's and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a specialty in Abnormal Psychology.