Humans of Chaffey

A lifelong learner is how Mrs. Stacy Bradshaw describes herself. I saw that sentence on my communication class's home page, and I wondered why she would describe herself in that way. At first, I felt nervous because even though she is my teacher, we have never been in contact; I have not been able to attend the Zoom meetings due to my schedule, and I only asked her if she had a little time for my first interview ever. Hence, the opportunity arrived, a Thursday evening after my work shift and still nervous, I got to my house on time, turned on the computer and received a pleasant surprise. Mrs. Bradshaw had a smiling face while I was struggling with my computer's microphone to introduce myself.

The interview started, and Mrs. Bradshaw showed me her communication skills while taking the initiative asking me how many classes I am taking. She seemed astonished as I told her that I took five classes while working 60 hours per week. She gave me a big smile as we found out that we both like soccer. Mrs. Bradshaw proceeded to explain to me the old times where foreigners in the United States were the most interested in soccer:

"There was not a lot of American playing. They were from Cuba, Mexico, and even there was a guy from England; just a couple of Americans, but it was a great experience for me."

She feels proud of her European identity even though she was born here in the United States and has a life in California since she was five. European ancestors give Mrs. Bradshaw a feeling of remembering that she could be from another part of the world because her parents come from Greece and England. I wonder how it would be to be in face-to-face classes with such an inspirational soul, so suddenly, her most inspirational story comes out.

Mrs. Bradshaw got pregnant when she was a teenager, so she could not go to college until 30:

"I went to Santa Monica Community College while working at night, and sometimes, I would sneak one of my kids into my class, then after two years there I took another break because I was raising kids, and I did not come back until I was 40."

She got her undergraduate degree at 43 and finally received her master's degree in human communication at 45; she arrived at Chaffey College to become a mass communication teacher in 2006.

She is now 60, and she could experience the affair of being a teen mom. Mrs. Bradshaw achieved her dreams of raising her children and having a career at the same time. Her daughter recently obtained her Master of Arts degree to work as a kindergarten teacher. Her son currently works for the California Highway Patrol and gives her the thrill of having two beautiful grandchildren. I could continue to accompany her cheerful explanations as she told me about her husband that exerts the attorney profession. At that point, I was aware that life has not been easy for Mrs. Bradshaw; the intrigue of asking more about her personal life was killing me, but I was lucky that she was accessible to share experiences.

Suddenly, she wrote the words marathon and AYSO in the chat and asked me what came to mind when I saw that. She went on explaining their meaning for her:

"Sometimes, stereotypes come to mind as if someone is a loser for not being fit or active in the same way that someone could be considered when dropping out of college. I had students that told me that those words are related to me, but in fact, I walked in five marathons and finished four."

The morale that she gave was about the person who finishes the race is not the same person who starts it; the race itself can change us, and just the experience of sports can make us aware of what we are capable of doing for the lessons we get practicing it.

Eventually, I asked about her interest in communication:

"Sometimes people think that argumentation is about name-calling, but is reason-giving behavior. What are the reasons that you believe something, and how do you support the reasons are the focus in it."

The connection from professor-to-student flowed for its open conversation, in which I, being a shy student, felt comfortable and overall inspiring. She pushes her students to keep chasing their dreams. I had a good feeling when I did not ask for it. Still, she shared the TED Talk video "The Mindset of a Champion," showed a picture of her from when she was 17 and said an inspirational phrase like:

"My happiness has come from doing things that I have always loved. I worked harder because it tends to be something that I am already passionate about, so I would say my advice is that you follow your passion."

HoC: Stacy Bradshaw

Humans of Chaffey