Dr. Maris Fonseca recieves her award from Vice President Grace Yackee
Dr. Maris Fonseca won the award for Outstanding Faculty of the Year at MCCC’s 2015 Honors Night.
She was not expecting to win the award.
“I’m still trying to assimilate what has happened,” she said.
“It’s a great honor, especially when I see such excellent instructors working with me every day and their example and their dedication to what they do,” she said.
Fonseca is a Biology professor and teaches Biology, Microbiology, and Genetics.
She generally teaches two courses, with two laboratory sections per semester. Many hours outside of class are spent planning.
“Especially when you are first preparing the courses – or new course materials like lab manuals, selecting textbooks, and preparing materials to provide the students with – it's many, many hours of preparation,” she said.
Fonseca also mentioned how science is changing and the material can be outdated in five or ten years.
She has been at MCCC for four years and has taught at the University of Michigan, UM Dearborn, Schoolcraft College, and Washington Community College.
“Each place has its own culture, and own group of students. It also depends on the course you’re teaching. I value all of my experiences, but I’m very happy to be here at Monroe County Community College,” Fonseca said.
“It is a pleasure to work with the students, they have the drive to succeed and you want to help them along in their journey and their careers, and the path that they choose. Whatever we can do to help and mentor them gives us great satisfaction and pleasure as faculty,” she said.
