A Full Circle

If you can change a heart, can you change the world? Join host Dan Baum as he speaks with Richard Hardesty about how it takes a community college to change a heart and to raise a graduate, and how he's come full circle in more ways than one.

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Transcript

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(bright music)- Welcome to Redefine U, Season 5. I'm Dan Baum. Over the last few years, this podcast has been a place to share powerful stories of redefinition and lightning strike moments. And to learn and grow with one another through adversity and change, even through a global pandemic. This season, to close out the college's 60th anniversary, we invited members of the community, past and present, to join us in sharing their favorite AACC memories. Be sure to check out all of this season's episodes, available now for your binge listening pleasure.- My name is Richard Hardesty. I was a student at Anne Arundel Community College from September, 1995, to December, 1999. And have, since January, 2015, been an adjunct faculty member. I teach history, I teach Western Civ 1 and 2, World Civilizations to 1500, World Civilizations since 1500. Pretty much, I teach anything they want me to teach.- I was gonna say, you don't teach very much, do you?- No, no.- You don't do a whole lot.- Take me less time to tell you what I don't teach as opposed to what I do teach, so.- All right, so what's your favorite AACC memory?- My favorite AACC memory has to be becoming the valedictorian back in 1999. I remember, at some point in my second year, that I was getting all A's in all my classes and I think somebody finally brought up the possibility of me becoming the valedictorian and it's almost akin to somebody throwing a no-hitter in a baseball game. It's something that you don't really tell them because then they get weirded out and you end up losing the no-hitter. But by the time, you know, it was my turn to graduate I ended up getting a letter from the school saying, you know, hey, you know, you're in line to become valedictorian, if you're interested, you know, fill out this form and send it to the registrar's office and we'll set up an interview for you. And I remember the first thing that the person told me in the interview and they said, well, we have a few questions for you and I said, well, I hope they're multiple choice and everybody laughed, you know, thinking, well, we got a little bit of a smart alec here. And part of me thought, well, I've just lost the opportunity to be valedictorian. But the interview went well and a couple days passed and I hadn't really heard anything and I thought, well, that's too bad, I don't think I got it. And I ended up getting a call that evening saying we want you to be the valedictorian and can you have a speech ready by tomorrow? I had never spoken in public before and I had never really written a speech. So I had to write a speech in short order, go over it with the people in the communications department and then a couple of days later, actually having to speak in front of several thousand people.(applause)- Good evening, and thank you, President Smith, dignitaries, trustees, faculty and the graduating class of 1999.(applause) Every one of you who is graduating tonight has come from a different background and has a different story to tell. And, even though we may not know each other well, or at all, we are still important to each other. The world is full of insights and perspectives that have yet to be known. That we can look at each other in a different light. And even though we're are different, it is important to realize that, with every time we act or interact with other people, we can shape and influence the way those individuals see the world. And throughout the course of my life, there have been many people who have had a positive influence over me, such as my parents, Fred Todd, Gary and Kim Boutwell. Mr. Richter, Professors Maine, Garrett, Sanders, and Gomez, and Dr. Brooks. Through all of them, I challenge all of you, the graduating class of 1999, to realize that you have the power to be that person and affect that change. We control our own destinies and, at the same time, can shape and influence the destinies of other people. And if there is anything you take with you, from what I say tonight, it is the belief in the saying that, if you can change your heart, then you can change the world. Thank you.(applause) I will say the full circle moment happened. I think at the last graduation, before the pandemic where they had it at Maryland Live and a reason I call it a full circle moment is in the valedictory, I mentioned people who made an impact on my life at the school. You know, teachers that I had friends that I had. And it just so happened that, one of my students who had taken me for a couple classes, was the valedictorian that year.- Oh, how nice. And I was actually mentioned in her speech that, as being one of the professors that had an impact on her and her time at Anne Arundel.(applause)- Thank you to everyone who makes up AAC for every Professor Perunovich, who showed me that my voice can echo even louder. When I record it with pen and paper. For every Dr. Portis, who emphasized the importance of being mindful to pace myself and prioritize mental health while still striving for success. And for every professor Hardesty, who taught me that maybe, just maybe, history was actually kind of cruel. It's encouraging to think that there are even more people at this school who have impacted you and your education, just as thoroughly. An African proverb tells us, it takes a village to raise a child. But, in the case of all of us, I think it's also fair to say, it takes a community college to raise a graduate. Thank you so much and congratulations class of 2019.(applause)- So it was just weird, on the 20th anniversary of my graduation from the school, to sit there, at the graduation and witness one of my students having that moment was very special to me. And I'll remember that for as long as I live.- Yeah. What great memories. Well, you mentioned people in your speech, but is there someone in particular you met through AACC who made an impact on you?- Well, there are a few people that had a very profound impact on me. It's, one person happens to be Lester Brooks, who taught history, US history, the civil war, African American history. And he was one of my favorite professors at the school because he pushed me to do better. And I always loved listening to him talk about history because he was such a compelling speaker and how he brought history to life and how he made me become a better student, you know. by taking his classes. I've often looked at how much fun he had in the classroom and tried to apply that to when I teach. Because, if I'm having fun, then hopefully the students are having fun as well. And, Professor Rita Gomez is another one. She's in the history department. I had her for several classes. And I remember the first time I ever had a class with her was a 9.30 class on a Tuesday. And she comes walking in like this barrel full of energy and I'm trying to wake up and I'm like, wow, this is gonna be interesting. And she was a great storyteller, as well. And she would basically use me as an example in her class, because I sat in the front, and would often kill me off. You know, if the plague hit, I was the first one to die, as the example. With kindness, of course. But, I incorporate the storytelling and how she can weave a narrative and tie it back to the important points. And I've used that as a way to teach my classes as well. Dave Meng, in the English department. I was not a very good writer when I came to Arundel. I did the best that I could, but I wasn't that great. No one would ever, you know, confuse me with Ernest Hemingway or Mark Twain, but he made me a better writer and he basically simplified it to me in a way that I could understand it. And then from there, I built off of it to the point where, now today, I've had several articles published I've done book reviews and peer review journals. And I've finished my dissertation in May, which I hope to publish into a book. So, but you know, all these people have had a major impact on me and, you know, my pursuit of getting a PhD in history, becoming a better teacher, a better student. Somebody that is now trying to pass that on to people that come here.- Well, congratulations on your dissertation.- Thank you.

It's called Magic in a Tragic City: 9:48

The Orioles and the Redevelopment of Baltimore.- There you go. I like the title. So you've touched on this but we'll try to get a little more specific then. How has being part of the AACC community redefined you?- AACC has redefined me a number of ways. As a student, it made me a better student. It prepared me for life at a four year school. I look back at my time at Anne Arundel and I went straight from Anne Arundel to UMBC in Catonsville. I felt like I was better prepared to go to a four year school and take on the challenges that that brought. I also know that, looking at how I grew as a student at Anne Arundel, from the time I arrived in September, 1995 to the time I left in December 99. You know, I tell my students this all the time. It's not where you start in life that matters, it's where you finish. You know, learning like anything else is about growth. And it's about adapting to the situation that you're in. The greatest indicator of future success, I believe, is your ability to adapt to the situation that you find yourself in. And I learned that at Anne Arundel and how I had to, you know, step up my game if I wanted to keep going and become the first member of my family to graduate with a with a college degree. And I've carried that with me, you know, every step I went to the fact that I'm the first member of my family with a PhD. So I can, you know, thank Anne Arundel for that. I think in some ways, when you're a student, you get this belief that, you know, as long as you know the information, that's all that matters. But, when you become a teacher, you have to take it a step forward and be able to apply that information and make it such that, people who have no idea what's going on, they can understand it. And so, you know, by becoming a teacher, I feel that I became much more aware of, not just global societies, through all the classes I can teach, but also American society, as well. And make connections between the past and what happened and why they're relevant today.(soft music) And I think it's helped me a great deal. And it's redefined me in ways that I don't think I would have been redefined, had I not gotten into Teach U or been a teacher at Arundel.- Well, this is great. Well, thank you so much for taking the time, Richard. Thank you for joining us for this special season of Redefine U. Celebrating AACC's 60th anniversary. We hope this season inspires you to think about your own favorite AACC moments. How is being a part of this community near or abroad, as a student faculty or staff member, parent, or friend redefine you?(bright music) Redefine U is a production of Arundel Community College, Our executive producer is Allison Baumbusch and our producer is Jeremiah Prevatte. Others who help with this podcast include Amanda Behrens, Angie Hamlet, Ben Pierce, and Alicia Renehan. Special thanks to all our guests for sharing their stories. Subscribe, find show notes and other extras on our website, aacc.edu/podcast. I'm your host and creator of this podcast, Dan Baum. Thanks for listening.