Professor Q&A - Prof. Yoany Beldarrain

This is the third post in our Professor Q&A series. The aim of the series is to allow present and prospective students to better get to know our amazing professors. This post features Prof. Yoany Beldarrain, professor of Business Communication and Head of Languages of the IB Programme.

    1.    In what roles have you contributed to ESB Business School?

Business Communication professor—too many specific points to list them all!

      Here are some of them:

-Coordinator of the ESB-wide language program (ESB Zentralsprachen),
-coordinator for languages for IB, IBD, IAT

-In total, I am responsible for about 19 language lecturers
-Speaker of the ESB Curriculum Committee
-Member of the core AACSB accreditation team

-development and implementation of the Assurance of Learning process,
  ESB-wide
-FIBBA accreditation process
-Drafting the latest ESB mission statement

-ESB´s SEP (strategic plan)
-Employability study
-Sharing e-learning best practices in multiple workshops, blended learning initiatives

-Grant writing

-Benchmarking projects with partner university

-Collaborative projects with partner universities

-liaison with several key companies

-International publications
-Student intake

-contributor to internationalization strategy
-much, much more…..

2.    What makes a good professor? (qualities, personality, skills etc.)?

In my view, a good professor is someone who inspires his/her students to be successful. This person sees the success of students as his/her own success. A good professor is a content expert, but above all, actively engages students in the learning process so they themselves can discover new connections. A good professor learns as much from the students as the students learn from him/her.

3.    Is there anything you would you like to change about your job?

More collaboration among colleagues is always positive.I would also like to have one ESB-wide calendar, it would help us coordinate the semesters more smoothly. We are working on it!

4.    What kind of student were you in university?  

I love to learn. During my university studies I was the one who forced my classmates to sit down and study before partying. I was organized and self-motivated. I actually finished the program ahead of all my classmates because I took extra courses each semester. I fell in love with e-learning because it gave me the flexibility to do things faster if I wanted to. I took the opportunity to take special exams so I would not have to take the actual course!

5.    Based on all of your experience, what is the most valuable lesson you have learned?
I have learned to see every glass as “half full” instead of “half empty.” In other words, always remain positive no matter how bleak the situation may seem. Be flexible, because positivity is the key to success.

6.    What's the most important word you would teach someone, if they couldn’t learn more than one?

Perseverance

7.    What one thing would you change in the world if you had absolute power?

People have free will, so you can´t force them to love or to care. I would try to promote tolerance through education. If I had absolute power and unlimited resources, I would establish a global education system that included compulsory exchange programs for every child so they would get to know different cultures and perspectives from an early age. I would hope that children would grow up more open-minded and willing to engage in cross-cultural dialogue as adults---which in turn would hypothetically promote peace, address poverty, etc. Right?
 

8.    What are your hobbies?

     Photography, writing, traveling

9.    What’s your favorite quote?

I actually have three:
Religious reference: I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Philippians  4:13
Pop culture reference: Never surrender—song by Corey Hart
Philosophical reference: The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up. Paul Valery, French poet and philosopher

10. What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?

      Dance to the beat of your own drum.

11. What’s the most important advice you would give to the ESB students?

Joy and happiness are a personal decision. Don’t wait for anyone to bring you either one.

12. What are your three favorite books?

They are actually all children´s books. They teach great lessons.
The Little Red Engine that Could. Watty Piper

Love You Forever. Robert Munsch

The Giving Tree. Shel Silverstein

13. What do you like most about being a professor? 

      Learning new perspectives from my students.

14. If you hadn’t chosen a career in teaching, what would you be doing now?

I would be a journalist. It was actually my first major in college.

15. Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

I have three for you…three seems to be my lucky number!
--I wrote a weekly newspaper column at age 12.

--I hosted a weekly radio talk show (1 hour long) at age 13.

--I interviewed Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin at age 15.