Northern Arizona University

I was born in Lerdo, Dgo Mexico and grew up in Texas in a very large and traditional family that valued education. I love to hike and Flagstaff and the surrounding area are perfect for this activity. I also like to read and listen to music.

I actually studied to be a high school English teacher but when I did my student teaching I realized that I wanted to impact the lives of individuals more that I thought I could as a teacher. I started my career as a social services worker completed my Master's in Social Work program and I began teaching on the university level.

I began teaching here in 1997 and currently teach SOC 360: Sociocultural Aging; SW 320: Social Policy and Legislation; UC 101: University Colloquium, as well as a few graduate Sociology courses. I am a member of the Association of Gerontolgy in Higher Education and last year received an award for my contributions to that organization. My research is in the area of Latino elders and their use of community services. I also have done some research with older Native Americans to find out the level of need for an adult day care program. More recently I have researched the area of bereavement and grieving and hope to do some research with older Latino men.

I enjoy getting to know the students. I also enjoy being involved in some mentoring efforts that work with ethnic female students who may be first generation college attendees. There is also a great deal of satisfaction in getting young students to think about aging as a career. In the classroom, it is very exciting to see the �ah ha� reaction when students learn a new concept, theory, or idea that they did not know before. Also, working with students as an advisor leads to more student contact which helps to make students better learners. I find these contacts to be good for me because I get to know the students better and to make learning more appropriate to them.

I think that they like that it is very non-judgmental and they can challenge me without feeling that they are wrong. I find that students can also be teachers in the classroom because we all learn from each other. I encourage discussions and exchange of ideas because when students are out in the world of work, they will have to learn to listen, to know when to disagree, and how to work with people who are different from themselves. I encourage individual work as well as team work and that makes the classes more interesting. I think that they like that it is very non-judgmental and they can challenge me without feeling that they are wrong. I find that students can also be teachers in the classroom because we all learn from each other. I encourage discussions and exchange of ideas because when students are out in the world of work, they will have to learn to listen, to know when to disagree, and how to work with people who are different from themselves. I encourage individual work as well as team work and that makes the classes more interesting.

Professors are willing to spend time with students who seek us out. Sometimes we, the professors, also seek out the students because we sense a need to provide more information. Many of our professors ask each and every student in their classes to come and meet with them so that we can know our students better. I find this to be very unique at this university and I think this is one of several things that makes the experience here so rich.

I have learned that students are very resilient and strong. They can do their class work, fulfill their family responsibilities, and still have time to organize fundraisers that help others in the community who are less fortunate. Our students also have a great sense of humor and can laugh under some dire circumstances. I have learned to persevere from students who come to class in spite of very difficult things that go on in their lives. I have also learned to appreciate that their lives are more complicated than mine was when I was their age.

I like all the classes that I teach for very different reasons. I like all the classes that I teach for very different reasons. One couresse among many is �Sociocultural Aging� because it is so neat to see students learn to appreciate older family members and to recognize the strengths that older people bring to our lives.

sara.aleman@nau.edu