Whether introducing poetry to a mechanical engineering student or discussing American literature with nursing students, Professor Brooke Bovee makes the humanities approachable and empowering, equipping students to form a clearer picture of the world around them and express what they see.
“Literary studies are interdisciplinary in nature,” said Bovee, an English and communications assistant professor at Miami Dade College’s North Campus. “I try to encourage them to research what matters to them and to really teach me.”
Bovee ignites understanding of English composition and literature by leveraging students’ interests, which are often wildly different and introduce a welcome variety to class discussions. She infuses her own passions for local Miami history and civil rights into curriculum as a model for changemaking and an entry point to inviting students to use composition as a vehicle for advocating for their own interests, whatever they may be.
“Professor Bovee empowers her students by presenting them with challenging, thought-provoking material, and bolsters their confidence by holding them accountable, so they can eventually experience the satisfaction of a job well done,” said Josett Peat, a former MDC professor.
For Bovee, teaching at MDC is career fulfillment. Inspired by her time as a student at Colorado Mountain College, Bovee went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English and English literature at Central Michigan University with the express purpose of teaching at a community college. Since joining MDC in 2007, Bovee has helped advance the College’s standing as a leader of equity in and outside the classroom. She was part of the faculty panel for the Aspen Prize site visitation team and has integrated into her curriculum material from professional development opportunities, such as one at Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, as well as project-based, interdisciplinary initiatives, such as a virtual voter education event where students explored candidates’ positions on topics that matter to them like policing and college affordability.
“She is a great professor because she cares,” said Antonio Major, an international student who is studying architecture at MDC. “She has taught me to give every assignment the same level of preparedness and detail. This is a lesson I will carry with me throughout my studies.”