Have You Met Professor Deborah Sheffield?

  I started schooling at William Paterson University at the beginning of the pandemic hence, I have not had the opportunity to meet most of my professors and the ones I have met on few occasions has been in class until everything was moved online so judging by the little experience with some faculty members, I will talk about the professor who made an impression on me the most.

 Deborah Sheffield is one professor that I won’t forget because of the role she played in helping me find my feet at William Paterson.

 I easily get nervous in a new environment due to fear of the unknown, and when I newly joined WPU was no exception, learning to deal with blackboard, how to write in APA and all other expectations that comes with being a student was one big sweat breaker.

 Of all the professors I had in my first semester, she stood out and made me feel like I could do and achieve anything I wanted, she was patient and made an effort to understand my point of view when I had issues, her attention and empathy to my plights really encouraged me.

 One of such was when we were asked to get adobe spark for her Comm 1190 class (Communications Studies and Practice)  which was a requirement in creating designs and submitting weekly assignments, I had limitations and couldn’t get on the application, I expressed my issues to her, and she went out of her way to get me a link that enabled me access the app.

 Asides from being my star professor, she is kind, warm as a person, loves dogs and Disney characters a lot.

 She is incredibly fun, beautiful in and out, and knows how to teach because I learnt so much from her and my favorite topic in her class was when she took emotional intelligence.

 Though she was not my advisor, I remember thinking she was my course advisor because of the way she responded to my degree requirement questions or issues then.

 Sheffield is one professor who does the most effortlessly for her students and does not realize the impression or impact it has on some of us.

 So, when I say she made the most impression on me last semester, I wasn’t trying to mince words, she did.

Returning to Campus this Fall

When we return to campus next semester, I look forward to meeting people, some of whom I have only seen online and while being online has been fun and unfun, relishing these last days as the spring semester nears its end is something I’ll come to appreciate when I look back to these times.

I know I am going to miss the confidence with which I roll out of bed and roll into class from one side of the bed to the other where my laptop has been sitting pretty all night while I drifted away in sweet dreams, yeah I roll like that sometimes lol.

Asides from making friends, on my checklist is a visit to the sports center or sport administrative block where I can see some of our athletes, coaches, or admin staff that I wrote about in my journalism class this semester, I can't tell if this has anything to do with sportsmanship spirit or its part of their orientation in the athletic department but most people I interacted with online in the course of manning my beat were so polite and forthcoming, ready to help as much as possible, so with the virtual love developed for the WPU sports family, it’s only fair I see them or get a ticket to watch some of their games.

Lastly, if the communication studio will be open to communication students, I intend to hang around there a lot because though a PR major, knowing how to read from a teleprompter won't hurt me in any way, rather, it adds to me as the popular saying goes “ no knowledge gained is ever wasted.”

Erin Monahan and Her Journey to Reaching 500th Milestone

Erin Monahan, Head Coach women’s basketball team at William Paterson University recently achieved a major milestone in her career by earning her 500^th victory as she led her team to a 67- 42 win against Rutgers-Newark in February 2021, Not only is she the most successful women basketball coach in WPU history, but she is also one of the best in the nation. Until this achievement, she held a record of 498 – 238 in 27 seasons and led the pioneers to 11 NCAA tournament bids and three NJAC Tournament Titles.

Monahan speaking on what this milestone meant to her said “It means I’ve been coaching a very long time (ha); we have been fortunate to bring in some very talented players  who could have played at a different level, but their parents trusted us to help their daughters get their degrees as well as play on talented teams, we have a great alumni group that I keep in touch with and without them, this wouldn't have been possible.”

Monahan who hails from Clifton N.J  and comes from a family very active in sports not only had dreams of becoming a teacher at a young age, but also pursued her dreams and went on to graduate with a physical education/teacher’s degree at William Paterson University while playing softball and basketball during her college days for the school and envisioning herself as a teacher and coach of her high school, Clifton H.S after college but like her mom’s favorite mantra goes, “Everything happens for a reason” indeed with Monahan, a slightly different career from teaching did happen for a reason.

“I honestly have always believed; you don't have to put the most talented team on the floor- they have to believe they can do it. If their work ethic displays their belief- anything is possible!” said Monahan.

According to the WPU sports page, “Before becoming the head coach at her alma mater, Monahan was a second-team all-NJAC performer in 1990. She finished her career with 1,025 points, a total that still ranks 21st all-time. She also was a starting first baseman for the Pioneers’ softball team from 1987-90. Monahan and her husband, Kevin, have three children: Caitlin, who plays on the Pioneers’ softball team, Patrick and Colleen.”