The Tempest

Issue date: 5/9/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Cris Compton Karen McCord was named AGS Teacher of the Year

This has been one heck of a year for Doctor Karen McCord, who just received perhaps one of the greatest honors that can be received by a Solano Community College teacher.

Voted teacher of the year by Solano students she has taught and mentored, McCord was honored during an Alpha Gamma Sigma teacher recognition banquet May 3.

Students were asked to fill in the names of the full-time teacher who they thought should win and the ballots were counted. With over 10,000 students on campus and about 500 staff and faculty members, McCord first beat out all the competition by being nominated and then by having the most votes.

Some of the students whose lives she's touched explain why they voted for her.

"For me, just moving to Solano and enrolling was transformational," says 50-year-old psychology/liberal arts major Shelly Lopes.


Leaving Madera with only her husband and new pacemaker, Lopes would arrive in Solano County just 10 days before the fall '06 semester would begin.


"Dr. McCord became my therapist, mentor, teacher and confidant and spiritual guider.
She transformed me through her class," says Lopes. " ….She sets the standards high and everybody meets the standards."



Psychology major Harold Shields, 21, agrees. He returned to SCC in Fall '06 addicted to both cocaine and alcohol. McCord suggested he immediately start Alcoholics Anonymous.


"Besides being a phenomenal professor and really being an expert, outside the classroom she makes a significant effort to assist in personal lives," he says, adding, "It's not just about grades with her; she takes it to a different level,"


"Since the moment I met her, she's been 100 percent supportive. She makes an effort to know what's going on in my life. She's gone above and beyond for me."

While taking her Psychology 20 class, both Lopes and Shields were able to come to terms with a lot of things in their own personal lives.

"I had a breakthrough in that class. I just let go, and opened up, it felt good to get everything off my chest and come to terms with it," says Shields, adding "I owe it completely to her."


Lopes feels that one of the greatest treasures McCord allowed her to experience is "the power of forgiveness."

"'When you forgive, you take the power of other people off you….'"McCord told her.
"She brings out the best in you, she's a very special person," says Lopes.


"She walks the walk and talks the talk. I'm glad she won," says Lopes.

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