Independence Through Connection - A Message from Sharon Christy
My name is Sharon Christy and I am an Assistant Professor of English at Lady Doak College. In the Spring Semester of 2024, I had the life changing opportunity to live in Oberlin as a Shansi Visiting Scholar.
When applying, I wanted to understand how classrooms worked at a liberal arts college in the United States. For years, I had heard the saying that an effective educator is not “a sage on the stage” but rather a “guide on the side.” At Oberlin, I witnessed, firsthand, how professors fostered students’ ownership of their learning. Classrooms were dynamic, student-driven environments that embraced fun. I am still discovering how best to utilize this approach at an all-women’s college in South India, but can already see myself becoming a better mentor for my students.
Outside the professional sphere, my time at Oberlin has immeasurably impacted me as a person. Prior to Shansi, I had never been truly independent. I, like many other middle-class women in Madurai, India, had only ever lived with family. I wanted to explore the freedom and personal space that came with living independently, and the ability to explore a new place all by myself.
It was during this particularly wonderful and novel chapter in my life that I met with a daunting experience.
Toward the end of the semester, I visited Columbus on my own. There, I met with an accident while riding in an Uber. Though I didn’t sustain any injuries, I was shaken. I texted the Shansi team from the hospital to let them know that I’d miss my bus back to Cleveland that evening. Within two hours, Jessica, the Shansi Administrative Assistant, had driven to Columbus to pick me up.
The car ride back to Oberlin was comforting. Jessica checked on me regularly and cracked jokes. Somehow, we started playing car-games that greatly alleviated the stress and anxiety I’d experienced. We deconstructed the English language, looking for words that sounded like their definitions; words like ‘persnickety’ and ‘cantankerous’. Reflecting upon it now, I realise that Jessica had gone to great lengths to be there for me. She sacrificed her evening, driving for more than five hours to pick me up and then made the effort to cheer me up. In fact, the entire Shansi Team came through for me in a way that my immediate family might have, and that’s something I’ll never forget. I felt the amazing support of the broader community that day.
In seeking independence, I found connection. Shansi taught me that the two are not mutually exclusive. And as I round out this year’s “Connections Campaign,” I cherish my role in Shansi’s larger legacy of building friendship, care, and mutual understanding. I hope you will consider making a gift to Shansi by visiting www.shansi.org/donate to give online or send a check to Oberlin Shansi, 50 North Professor Street, Oberlin, OH 44074. You can also learn more about other ways to give, and some tax-advantaged giving opportunities, on the Shansi website or by emailing the Shansi team at shansi@oberlin.edu.
To end my message, I leave you with a video of a happy afternoon in Ohio. In “Moments of Indulgence: Farm-Side Frozen Custard,” I am pleased to share a sweet memory of enjoying ice cream with friends from China, Japan, and Oberlin.
Sincerely,
Sharon Alice Christy Ponmudi
Visiting Scholar from Lady Doak College