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Your favorite moment from teaching in the OCL Program?
My favorite moment is watching students pass their final dissertation defense and seeing the joy and relief on their faces. It’s incredibly rewarding to witness their hard work and resilience pay off. The hooding ceremony is the icing on the cake. And if you’re tall, please kneel—I’m only 5’2”!
Your favorite recipe or place to eat?
When I’m on the mainland, I always visit Cotogna in San Francisco for the Raviolo di Ricotta, my favorite dish in the world. Brown butter, sage, ricotta, and egg yolk come together to make it simply delicious!
Any advice for our current OCL students?
Embrace the full learning process and the privilege of exchanging ideas with exceptional peers. This journey will stretch, challenge, and shape you. It’s not just about earning the “D”; it’s about who you become along the way.
One piece of writing (article, book etc.) that every OCL student should read?
I recommend the book Together Is Better: A Little Book of Inspiration by Simon Sinek. It highlights the power of purposeful living and collaboration in creating meaningful change. Through a simple fable, it contrasts unhealthy work cultures with those built on trust and cooperation, reminding leaders of their responsibility to foster environments where people can thrive. It inspires leaders to pursue their passions while leading in ways that create positive, lasting change.
If you were not in academia, what would you be doing?
An astronaut, as seeing Earth from space is a lifelong dream. My dad worked at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for over 33 years, which fueled that passion. More realistically, I’d be a wine sommelier. With a father from Bordeaux and a brother who was both a winemaker and featured in Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series, science and wine have deeply shaped my family story. My brother has since passed, but that legacy remains close to my heart.
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