By BRAXTYN TURNER
Student Reporter
Dr. Christina Xan received a bachelor in English at Frances Marion University in Florence, South Carolina.
She then attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina to earn her masters in English and later graduate with her PhD.
While working towards her PhD, Xan assisted with teaching classes at the university, providing her with around 7 years of teaching experience prior to her first official teaching position here at Northwestern.
Q: What sold you on coming to NWOSU?
A: I was looking for a teaching oriented school rather than a research oriented one. I love writing and going to conferences and finding stuff in the field. However, when I think about why I got the PhD and what makes me most excited about the subject I’ve pursued, it’s being in the classroom with the students and that’s where the smaller school comes into play because I don’t want to teach class of 50 people, I don’t want to be a lecture hall teacher. I want to have the chance to form one-on-one relationships with students and when I first heard about Northwestern, it clicked for me right away. I got to meet some of the other English professors and immediately got the feeling that it was very family oriented group and this is a really good place to make a lot of connections not just with fellow faculty, but with students as well, so ultimately that’s what sold me.
Q: What is one of the first goals you hope to accomplish here?
A: Well right now I’m trying to get settled in, and “first goal” is a hard thing to pick out, but my goal overall as a teacher is to make someone think differently about the world in a positive way. Obviously I want people to like English and to like literature, but my big goal is, I think that storytelling requires you to see the world in a more empathetic way, and if I can be that for a student and lead to them having a broader, more detailed and empathetic, understanding of the world and the people around them, that’s a dream to me. It’s like knowing that someone says you’ve helped them understand the world better, that’s the dream.
Q: What is your favorite class to teach and why?
A: I just love to teach English. I would say it goes back-and-forth. I’m teaching composition, American literature and creative writing this semester. I would say the one that I am most excited about is the American literature class because we get to read full length novels and there are a lot of students in that class that are actual English majors so they care and are very serious about it. Another class I find rewarding and its own way is creative writing because it’s just a world of round table writers creating together. Also, composition is cool because I love hanging out with the freshmen and helping them through this transitional phase. I can become their first supporter and help them gain confidence in college and I enjoy doing that. Overall, I’d say my favorite is American literature.
Q: What is your superpower?
A: My superpower is that I can make friends with anybody and I can talk to anybody. I’ve never met a stranger. I have no shame and am very loud and extroverted, so yeah.
Q: What is something most people don’t know about you?
A: ugh this is so hard cause like I said, I literally have no shame. I tell everyone everything but one thing is more personality based I guess, but I really do like my alone time and need time to recharge. I love people, but sometimes I just need alone time. Another thing that people will probably not know about me. I’m a huge gamer. I love video games. It’s probably what I spend most of my time doing when I’m at home. I think a lot of people see all the girly pop things like the flowers and glitter, but really, when I go home, I’m sitting on my couch playing resident evil. So yeah maybe that’ll be a surprise to some people.
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Xan is one of eight new faculity members the other seven will be featured in coming issues of the Northwestern News.