Jeff Cook
Q. Where are you from and where did you graduate college?
A. I grew up in Stephens, Arkansas and graduated from SAU in 1977 and 2015.
Q. Why did you choose education as a career?
A. I wanted my tertiary career to be something I could do for a long time. I also heard there’s no heavy lifting.
Q. What do you LOVE about your classes at UAHT?
A. I enjoy the energy and excitement of my students, especially the younger ones. I also like the determination and hard work I see in my non-traditional students as they, like I, try something new.
Q. What are your favorite hobbies? What do you do to relax?
A. I enjoy our feline menagerie (we have 7 at last count), working crossword puzzles, fixing things, and singing (if you can call it that) in the choir at First Methodist Church here in Hope.
Q. What is your motto for your class?
A. “No matter where you go, there you are.” -Buckaroo Banzai
Q. What is something you wish you would have known when you were in college? Do you have any advice you want to pass along to students?
A. I wish I’d learned in undergrad that there’s more to life than just having a good time.
Q. What is your favorite snack?
A. Ice cream, I guess, and it shows.
Debra James
Q. Where are you from and where did you graduate college?
A. I am from Texarkana, AR. I graduated from Henderson State University and TAMUT.
Q. Why did you choose education as a career?
A. I had two excellent teachers who served as role models, one of whom was my English teacher. She inspired me, so I wanted to be like her. Plus…I love to read.
Q. What do you LOVE about your classes at UAHT?
A. I love my students. I love the interaction with them and the stories of their lives. I love that my students desire a better life and are willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve that.
Q. What are your favorite hobbies? What do you do to relax?
A. Well, I have so many hobbies that this is a difficult question. I do just about everything that you can do with a needle: sewing, knitting, quilting, smocking, and crocheting. I paint as well. I use mainly watercolor, but I also enjoy color pencil and oil as well. I also enjoy gardening. Mainly flowers. Of course, I read daily.
Q. What is your motto for your class?
A. Writing can be liberating!
Q. What is something you wish you would have known when you were in college? Do you have any advice you want to pass along to students?
A. I wish that I had known how to use humor more effectively. We laugh a lot in my classes now. I developed that throughout my career. I guess my advice would be to choose wisely. Every choice we make has consequences.
Q. What is your favorite snack?
A. Anything chocolate, especially with peanut butter.
