Meet the 2020 SIUE Outstanding Teaching Assistant (TA) Award Recipients, Lindani Memani & Huan Van Phan
Lindani Memani is a student in the Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of English Language and Literature. She has been teaching English Composition courses in the first-year writing program since fall 2019. Her innovative and inspiring teaching style has received the highest of praise from her faculty. “Lindani’s teaching is nothing short of amazing - inspiring, structured, student-centered, welcoming, interesting and engaging,” said English Professor Matthew Johnson, PhD, Lindani’s supervisor. “Lindani’s unique ability to establish rapport and a positive classroom environment led to her students openly engaging in a genuine, intellectual, and academic discussion, not just with her as the instructor, but also with each other.”
Huan Phan Van is a student in the School of Engineering’s Engineering Sciences cooperative PhD program with a focus in mechanical engineering. He has served as a TA in several 300 and 400-level mechanical engineering courses since fall 2019. Nima Lotfi, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, and Huan’s supervisor, said, “I remember seeing him spend hours in the lab, beyond his normal office hours, explaining the subject matter to the students who were struggling.” That dedication to learning aligns with Huan’s own teaching philosophy that “teachers should give their all to be an endless bridge which connects students to knowledge.”
Congratulations to Lindani and Huan! Thank you for your dedication to excellence in teaching and your many contributions to SIUE!
Photo (L-R): Lindani Memani and Huan Van Phan
Know a deserving student or alum that we should highlight in Cougar Pride? Contact us at graduateschool@siue.edu to let us know!