Presbyterian College professor of psychology encourages students to stay excited about learning and strive for growth
As an undergraduate student, Dr. Sarah Burns came to Presbyterian College as a biology major with a strong interest in doing research.
Over time, she realized that doing research in biology wasn’t quite what she was interested in, and this was further confirmed for her when she took her first psychology course at the college.
“I discovered that you could do research on people, and all of it was interesting to me,” she said. “When I learned that I could do research that still had a science-y approach in a field that pretty much everybody could relate to, that made me really excited.”
Finding her Calling
Hailing from a family of educators, Burns never thought she would one day follow the same path, and she initially set out to make a career out of her passion for doing research.
All of that changed when she taught a class as part of her graduate student training and discovered how much fun teaching could be.
“I had no intention of teaching, but then I fell in love with getting to know the students and sharing what made me excited about psychology, and hopefully making them excited about it, too,” she said.
What Burns values most about teaching is the opportunity it presents for her students to grow, while also allowing room for her to grow as an educator.
“Every semester, I get to improve a little bit,” she said. “At the end, I always think, ‘that was fun, I bet I could do that a little better next time.’”
How am I going to be able to reach the younger generation and get them just as excited, and give them that PC experience that I value consistently? I have no idea what that answer is, but I hope that I’m contributing to it.”
Dr. Sarah Burns ’01, Professor of Psychology
PC From a New Perspective
Returning to PC was a dream come true for Burns, who always knew that that was her ultimate goal, even before she’d graduated.
“My senior year, I had a conversation with my advisor, and he asked, ‘What do you want to do with a Ph.D.?’” Burns said. “I told him, ‘I want your job,’ and he said, ‘Well, you can’t have my job because I’m pretty far from retirement.’”
Burns’ wish would come true a few short years later. While teaching at Anderson University, she received an email from her former advisor, who had decided to retire early, encouraging her to throw her hat in the ring and apply for the empty position.
“I got all of my stuff together that same day, and I’ve been here for about 15 years now,” she said. “I love it. This was always my goal.”
Burns’ favorite aspect of teaching has been, and always will be, getting to know her students, something that doesn’t stop even after they graduate, thanks to social media.
“Not only do I get to see them figure out who they want to be, but when they leave here and go do it, I get to keep up with them,” she said. “I get to watch them find their partners, or have babies, and make these great careers, and I love to follow along with their lives.”
Excitement for the Future
When Burns thinks about the coming years she’ll spend at the college, she thinks about the students who have yet to set foot on campus.
“I’m always excited about the changing student population, because it keeps me on my toes,” she said.
As the world continues to change, Burns is prepared to embrace any challenges that may come with teaching the next generation.
“How am I going to be able to reach the younger generation and get them just as excited, and give them that PC experience that I value consistently?” she questioned. “I have no idea what that answer is, but I hope that I’m contributing to it.”
