Dr. Shay West is a professor of biology at Colorado Mesa University. Her students speak of how her passion and motivation drive them to success. As a freshmen year initiation teacher, she teaches incoming freshmen how to succeed in every way she knows possible, while giving them a support system from the first moment they are on this campus. After a long journey in higher education and research, she spends her days passing on her wisdom to all students she comes in contact with.
1) Where did you receive your undergraduate degree? Your PhD?
“I earned my bachelor’s degree in biology from CMU (Mesa State College back then) in 2003. I moved to Denver to attend Anschutz Medical Campus and earned my PhD in Human Medical Genetics in 2009. I did a post-doctoral fellowship at the same university, switching gears from Alzheimer’s research to bleeding disorders”.
2) After taking a break and coming back to college how did this help you in your learning skills and motivation for personal success?
“I wasn’t ready to go to college right out of high school. I had no idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up and the thought of going to more school didn’t appeal to me at all. I went to work and moved out on my own and made some bad choices along the way like most young people do. But I grew up and realized that I wanted to be a part of something larger than myself. I’d always loved science. I was born to be a scientist, I think, and after some urging from my old bosses (I’ll never be able to repay Tony and Marie Martinez for the change they helped me to make), I looked into attending Mesa State College. Since my family couldn’t afford to send me to school, I had to find a way to pay for college which isn’t cheap. I ended up having to keep working to support myself, but I took out student loans to help supplement my income so I could go to part-time work which allowed me to focus more on school”.
3) What year did you begin teaching at CMU?
“I started teaching here at CMU the spring of 2011”.
4) What is your favorite aspect of teaching biology?
“The fact that it never ceases to amaze me! I teach the same material year after year and I’m still like a little kid when I explain how cool biology is. From how each of our cells have specific jobs to why we have kneecaps to how something as beautiful and complex as a human being can form from a single cell to groundbreaking research that will change the way we view diseases—this is why biology is the coolest”.
5) How have your students impacted your life?
“This one is actually getting me a little choked up just thinking about it. There are so many facets to this question that it’s hard to keep it short and sweet. My students are the reason I do what I do. What good is my having a passion for something if I can’t share it with others
who also share that passion and thirst for knowledge? If I see their eyes light up with excitement during lectures or labs, then I know I’ve done my job. They keep me motivated to keeping material fresh and interesting”.
6) How do you best prepare your students for big exams such as the Medical College Admissions Tests?
“I encourage them to find as many resources as they can and take advantage of them, whether it’s using books or paying for online classes to help with the process. I’ve recently started an informal journal club where I walk students through research articles and help them understand the experiments, controls, future directions and allow them to exercise their critical thinking skills by asking their interpretation of the data rather than just copying what the authors say”.
7) Students who have had you as a professor speak of your passion and constant motivation. What keeps you going every day?
“Being the ultimate nerd definitely helps with the motivation, that’s for sure. I love so many aspects of science and it’s so much fun to share that with them. I’m so lucky to have a job that I look forward to going to each and every day. Mostly because I’m excited to share science with my students and see if they get as excited as me”.
8) Have you always known you wanted to study biology? Why or why not? What was the path you took to make that decision?
“I’ve always been interested in the natural world and the human body and animals and space— okay, anything even remotely associated with science. I’m pretty into it. When I started college I knew a biology degree was where I was going to start, but at that early stage I didn’t know what came after the bachelor’s degree. It was during Dr. Tony Schountz’s genetics class that the idea hit me that research was totally amazing. He talked about the ability to delete genes in mice to find out what the protein’s function is and I was blown away. I wanted to know more. It wasn’t long after that that I ended up doing research with Dr. Steve Werman and I was hooked.”
9) What is a main goal you have set for yourself that you’re in the process of achieving?
“I want financial freedom, of course, and I’m definitely working toward that (paying off student loans, etc). But mainly, I want to help my students achieve success rather than seeking anything in particular for myself. I want my students to move forward to achieve their goals and if I can help along the way, then life is good”.
10) Are you planning on teaching until retirement? Do you have any other plans/career goals for the future?
“I most definitely plan on teaching until retirement. The great thing about this job is that I can do it well beyond the typical age of retirement, and continue to have something that gets me out of bed each day. Something that I am certain I will continue to enjoy doing for many decades to come.”
