Lucia Hodgson, who is from California, specializes in areas of literature that include childhood studies and transatlantic slavery.
What has been your most life changing moment?
LH: Well, taking this job has been life changing. I had never been to Texas and I had to adjust to Aggieland. But I think overall I have been pleasantly surprised because I do find that I can be myself here even though I may not be what people expect. We do have a reputation as a University in general of being conservative or deeply religious and I am neither one of those things, but students on the whole have been very accepting of me as a person.
What has been your most
embarrassing moment
as a professor?
LH: I had a cold and I had taken medicine and I was kind of groggy and I kept looking at my watch and I was thinking class was going to end soon. I just kept talking and talking and students kept fidgeting and I was like, “Well we have 20 more minutes” and a student finally said, “Class was over 10 minutes ago.” I was like, “Oh god, why didn’t anybody tell me?”
What is your favorite part of Texas A&M?
LH: There are many things I love about Texas A&M, but my favorite thing is the natatorium. I love to swim. It relieves stress and we have an amazing natatorium. We have tremendous pools and they are clean and beautiful and if you go at the right time you can have a lane to yourself. I like to swim late at night and I just really love it.
Are you married or dating anyone? If so, is that difficult with the amount of teaching you do?
LH: I am in a relationship with someone who lives in California and it’s been, so far, impossible to convince him to move to College Station. If you are not an academic or there is not something within the University System for you to do, or you really love Aggie football, you know, how would I convince someone my age to want to be here? I think that is an issue for a lot of faculty here. It’s a small town with 50,000 people under 22. Sometimes you just really feel your age, like you’re just part of a minority of strange creatures from the later walks of life.
What do you do for fun on the weekends?
LH: I do yoga and I swim or I read something I don’t have to read for my work. I also go to First Friday and sometimes I go to The Village.
Why, do you feel, is a major in English important?
LH: I think being able to read critically, think critically and write well are extremely versatile skills that will benefit anyone in any circumstance. I also think we can learn so much from the literature of the past about the present and how the past continues to sort of haunt the present, if you will.