THEIR LIFE'S WORK
11 Questions for Nicole Juersivich
Math professor Nicole Juersivich was honored for teaching excellence at the Teaching Excellence and Student Success Awards held in April 2019.
1
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
There is no “secret to life” — meaning and purpose come from the living of it.
2
What about you would surprise people the most?
I can play the piano, flute, marimba, and handbells.
3
What books are currently on your nightstand?
The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
4
What is your most treasured possession?
If I ask myself, “What would I hate to lose” I immediately think of my family and friends. But, I don’t view them as “mine” or “possessions,” so instead I will say my memories of my friends and family.
5
What is your most-used emoji?
These are the two I use the most — usually side-by-side (order doesn’t matter).
6
What is your happy place?
Lying on a beach with warm sand, hearing the rhythmic crashing waves, and feeling the slight cool breeze blow over me. My best memory of this was lying in a hammock in Maui.
7
If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
Sleep (yes I read the question).
8
What's your guilty pleasure?
I absolutely LOVE doing karaoke.
9
What is the best thing about your current job?
It’s the same answer as what would be my ideal job: to be able to do what you want to do to make a difference and flourish at it because of the support and encouragement you receive.
10
What's one of your hidden talents?
Singing and dancing; up until about age 19 I wanted to be a singer and dancer.
11
What’s your favorite meal and why?
It’s not a meal, but my favorite type of food is peaches because they taste amazing. They also remind me of waking up early and picking the windfall peaches with my grandfather. He lived next door to an orchard and helped the owner out a lot, so he let him come over at any time to pick peaches that had fallen to the ground. I remember taking crates of peaches with me to college.
