Originally Posted by
Kim
I research for a living because I want to know things. When something catches my interest, I want to know everything about it and get obsessed with it until I get tired of it and then I will often (not always) drop it completely. So I can tell you every detail about random topics like Mount Everest sherpas, Yoruba spirituality, life under the German welfare system, the U.S. healthcare system and its effects on people, undocumented immigrants along the U.S. border, transgender rights, Cuban photography, alcoholism and recovery, schizophrenia, combat PTSD, dog rescue, and a bunch of other topics, mostly related to people and their stories in different contexts, because at some point in my life those caught my interest. I like to look at issues from all angles, especially the human experience and including suffering, sadness, and violence. I want to know people and their lives, histories, and thoughts and I like to help them connect the dots if they need help connecting them.
I am an academic because I love to do research and because it allows me to change direction when I get bored. I love to read, listen, and connect. I write articles about contemporary migration movements, literature, film, and art and make connections historically and socioculturally. I love to interact with students and talk to them about their plans, assess their potential, and help them work through all the possibilities.
In a nutshell.