To welcome the new faculty into the Rhodes community, they were asked three questions about themselves:

1. Why Rhodes?
2. What is the name of a song or album that has had a significant impact on your life?
3. What is something about you that would surprise people?

Their responses were as follows:

Raina Belleau, Art:

1. Why Rhodes?

Rhodes stood out to me because of its demonstrated commitment to faculty development in and out of the classroom. I had the impression that joining Rhodes would make me a better educator. I was also impressed by the thoughtfulness and insights of the students I had the opportunity to meet during my initial visit to campus.

2. What is the name of a song or album that has had a significant impact on your life?

It’s rare for me to find an album that is able to encompass both my daily and creative life. My go-to album for writing, making artwork in my studio or just hanging around the house has been “Heartland” by Owen Pallet. It’s lyrically complex and symphonic. It’s energy and intensity always feel calibrated to my own.

3. What is something that would surprise people about you?

Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” is my go-to karaoke song.

Kijan Bloomfield, Religious Studies:

1. Why Rhodes?

I attended a small liberal college for my undergraduate education. Teaching at Rhodes meant I had the opportunity to work closely with students in the same way my professors and mentors did. Also, Memphis has lots of great food and music! 

2. What is the name of a song or album that has had a significant impact on your life?

Without a doubt, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. She is an incredible lyricist and songwriter. The album was a milestone for many young Black women, especially amongst my friends who were of the Caribbean diaspora in New York City. For a long time, the album was at the center of many of our conversations about culture, politics, and love. 

3. What is something that would surprise people about you?

I grew up listening to a lot of country music. My parents came of age during a time when it was the main form of popular music exported to the Caribbean. My appreciation for reggae music and dancehall came later in my adult life! Also, I’m a novice knitter.

Matthew Lang, Math and Computer Science:

After graduating, I was a professor at a small liberal arts college much like Rhodes, and then was recruited away from academia by Google… where I was leading a team building platforms for other Googlers and cloud customers to do low-latency data analytics…

I am at Rhodes because of Rhodes, specifically—I had spent time on campus before and met its faculty and students. I knew that I would find myself in an awesome department with awesome coworkers and awesome students. And so, when Rhodes had an opening, I jumped at it.

Beyond this, I love Memphis. People are surprised when I say that I’m happier to live in Memphis than San Francisco but it is true. Memphis has a thousand times more depth than the Bay Area.

Aixa Marchand, Psychology: 

1. Why Rhodes?

I was excited to join a campus where faculty have such a great advising and mentoring relationship with undergraduate students. I was also especially impressed with the work that students and faculty do in the greater Memphis community and I look forward to finding ways to engage with the community as well.

2. What is the name of a song or album that has had a significant impact on your life?

This Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is an album that I can listen to from beginning to end without skipping a track. I began to love it when I was much younger and would listen with my older sister, but now as an adult I have a different appreciation for the album, the meaning of the songs, and the message of the album as a whole.

3. What is something that would surprise people about you?

I was the captain of my soccer team in high school. I stopped playing for a couple of years and when I picked it back up in graduate school, I tore my ACL. As a Miami girl just getting used to navigating the snow in Ann Arbor it was especially hard to maneuver winter on crutches.

Erika David Parr, Math and Computer Science:

1. Why Rhodes?

I chose Rhodes because of its dedication to the liberal arts tradition, its student-centered environment, and its emphasis on community. I attribute much of who I am today, both personally and professionally, to my own undergraduate experience at a small liberal arts college and want to help pass that along for other students. Visiting Rhodes last spring, I witnessed the faculty’s commitment to their students and the sense of community on campus and knew this was somewhere I wanted to be.

2. What is the name of a song or album that has had a significant impact on your life?

The first Mumford and Sons album Sigh No More. It was released when I was an undergrad, so it’s very nostalgic for me.

3. What is something that would surprise people about you? 

I am a life-long summer camp fanatic and have been involved with camps in some form for the past 18 years. I grew up going to sleep away camp in western Pennsylvania where I later worked for six summers during undergrad and graduate school. Now, I help run a week-long summer camp in Phoenix, AZ for first-generation high school students called Camp Catanese with some of my good friends and fellow educators.

Deborah Petrik, Biology:

1. Why Rhodes?

What drew me to Rhodes was the opportunity to get students excited about scientific research by being able to interact with them in small class and lab sizes. 

2. What is the name of a song or album that has had a significant impact on your life?

“The Heart of the Matter” by the Eagles.

3. What is something that would surprise people about you?

Even though I’m originally from Chicago, I know how to drive a jon boat, and have caught a 43-inch long red drum (spot-tail bass), Latin name Sciaenops ocellatus.

Connor Sutton, International Studies:

1. Why Rhodes?

I am incredibly excited to be back in a liberal arts environment. I attended Aquinas College (Grand Rapids) for my undergraduate degree and know first-hand the benefits of a liberal arts education. From my first interaction with Rhodes students, I knew this was a place I could thrive as a teacher-scholar.

2. What is the name of a song or album that has had a significant impact on your life?

I have too many favorites to pick one, but lately I have been on a Charley Crockett kick. I especially like his album “Lonesome as a Shadow.”

3. What is something that would surprise people about you?

During undergrad, I used to be a canoe guide in Michigan.

Greg Vieira, Physics:

1. Why Rhodes?

I worked at Rhodes from 2016-2018. While I was here, I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the college… My colleagues in the faculty were supportive and thoughtful. Students in the physics department in particular enjoyed science inside and outside the classroom. I was elated to come back.

2. What is the name of a song or album that has had a significant impact on your life?

I discovered the music of Ben Folds when I was in college… If I had to pick one song of his, it’d be “Evaporated”, a ballad that closes out the album “Whatever and Ever Amen”. The song touches upon being lost in a life journey and the frustration that comes. It has always felt personal, as someone who spent my first twenty-two years in one place and then moved around a lot.

3. What is something that would surprise people about you?

People would be surprised to hear that I’ve played lead guitar in four rock bands and I’ve recorded four albums in professional recording studios with those bands.