There is a lot of pressure in knowing that you are responsible for the five hundred and fifty resident students at Virginia Wesleyan-especially when you are a student yourself. But how about adding the pressure of a full-time internship? That’s what Seniors Ryan O’Connor and Karen Purcell are doing this semester, as they juggle their jobs as Village Assistants and their very demanding internships.

The Village Assistant (V.A.) job is a huge responsibility. At least once a week, when they are the Professional Staff on duty, carrying a pager and responding to any situation that may arise on campus. With problems ranging from medical emergencies to policy violations, the Village Assistants have gone through a much more extensive training than the Resident Assistants on each floor.

“The Village Assistant position at Virginia Wesleyan College is the best example of student leadership that I have seen,” said Keith Moore, Director of Residence Life, “and requires individuals to be responsible to a degree equivalent to many professional life positions at other institutions of higher education.” O’Connor, V.A. of Village III, is a Liberal Arts Management Program major at VWC. This semester, he is working as a sales intern in the Finance Department at Spirit Cruises, Inc. in Norfolk.

“This internship has been a great opportunity,” said O’Connor. “In balancing the internship with my responsibilities as a V.A., I have learned the value of time management.” Through his work at Spirit Cruises, Inc., he has been given the chance to travel, both to Washington D.C. and New York. Most importantly, the internship has opened up opportunities for post-graduation employment. While he eventually hopes to work for the Internal Revenue Service, he will most likely work for Spirit Cruises, Inc. for a few years after graduation.

Purcell, V.A. of Village I, will graduate in May with a major in Health and Human Services. This semester, she began working at Chesapeake Boys’ Home, where she assists in counseling teenage boys, ages 13 to 17. “This internship has been a great experience,” said Purcell. “Since the boys live in the home, I am able to observe them interacting with their family, friends and parole officers.”

She is currently applying to graduate school, and eventually would like to be a guidance counselor. Both Purcell and O’Connor agree that it would be easier to do their job as a Village Assistant if they were just taking classes. “It’s much harder this semester,” said O’Connor. “I feel out of the loop because I am not available during the day. But I have a wonderful staff behind me, and a director who supports me. That makes my job easier.”

Purcell echoed O’Connor’s sentiments and said, “I really appreciate having a supervisor [in Residence Life] who understands that school is my first priority. He is willing to work with my weird, hectic schedule.”

What is a hero? It could be that middle-aged woman on the 5 o’clock news that saved a little boy from drowning. It could be that nice man who held open the door for you when your hands were full. It could be that person who listened when no one else would. For me, it’s all of the above. And like myself, many VWC students have been touched by a hero right here on campus, the English Department’s Professor Vivian Teter.

“Not only is she my advisor and professor, but she is also my fellow writer,” said student Kristi Lafoon. “She never makes her students feel that she is above them. She still possesses an eagerness to learn as well as to teach, a quality missing among most.” Lafoon was not alone in her opinion. “Her encouragement is one of the biggest reasons I keep writing poetry,” said sophomore Neil Reda, “She inspires so many kids at our campus to express themselves. She’s always got positive comments for everyone, not just on poetry but day-to-day life activities, too.”

After receiving a Bachelors in English from Hollins College outside Roanoke, Va. and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona in Tucson, she arrived at VWC in 1987. During her 15 years here, Teter has inspired many students and even helped bring back a way for them to have their work heard, the Poetry Slams. She also teaches a poetry writing workshop where students get to write their own work instead of studying the work of others as in most English classes.

“I studied or had writing workshops with some wonderful teachers Hilary Masters (Edgar Lee Masters’ grandson), Mary Oliver, Robert Hass (former U.S. Poet Laureate), Steve Orlen,” said Teter. “Also, the classmates I had in graduate school were and still are an inspiration, particularly Li-Young Lee.” Remembering that inspiration she received in workshops, Teter has implemented several different aspects of those workshops into the ones she teaches today. Using different types of creative exercises, Teter strives to stress to her students the value of being open.

“That’s probably my main goal,” said Teter, “to get students outside themselves.” Her exercises invite the students to try something new and totally different than they would think of normally. “It’s outside your preferences so you turn away from it when in reality,” said Teter, “it could open up a whole other world.” And it seems that it is just this other world that she has helped students open for themselves, as they become more excited about their work. But just who exactly is this woman behind all of this creativity?

Her hopes: To publish her original manuscript. Her fears: Germs, students with colds and strep throat coughing on her. What or who inspired her just as she has inspired others? “Here’s where the true heroes and heroines come in,” said Teter. “First, the medieval Persian poet, Rumi. His words are a life-inspiration and inspire me daily in my quests.”

In addition to Rumi, another large inspiration for Teter is Ingrid Bettancourt, a woman running for president of Colombia on an anti-drug, anti-corruption platform. “When she campaigned for election as a senator in Colombia some years ago,” said Teter, “everyone thought she was crazy and told her it was an impossibility, that she would never manage to get elected against the forces in power in that country. They were wrong.” Bettancourt recently tried negotiating with the leftist guerrillas and was abducted. It is unknown if she is still alive today. However, her commitment to bringing about change will continue, just as Teter’s small, but not unnoticed, contribution to students’ lives has left its impact and will last forever.

“My life is much richer for having known Professor Teter,” said Lafoon. “When I look back at the most influential people in my life, those precious few who have helped me the most to reach for what I hope for out of life, Vivian Teter will rank at the top.” According to several students, Teter has a unique relationship with her students. “She is very open-minded and lets the students express themselves as needed,” said junior Amylynn Coddington, “That is a major plus because that’s how she gets through to students.” This is true.

And what better way to get students excited about their writing than to give them free reign in their words? “I respect and appreciate that she is interested in what is important to us,” said student Elizabeth Stevenson. “She believes in her students and she encourages them to believe in themselves,” said Lafoon. “She not only shows us how to become better writers, she demonstrates a way to become better people as well.” Having such confidence and motivation with their work has paid off, not only in the classroom.

“Four or so years ago,” said Teter, “the slams were run by a vocal, energetic group of students and when they graduated, the slams faltered.” Last fall and spring, however, Teter took notice of her students’ new found motivation. “The students in my poetry writing workshops, their spirit and their poems, inspired me to get the slams started again,” said Teter. “There was a core group of students who were really creative. I thought they should be heard more.”

And they will be heard. The next Poetry Slam will be April 9 at 7 p.m. in VI Eggleston Commons, the old Grille. Teter herself can also be heard reading poems from her hopefully soon-to-be-published book April 4 at 11 a.m. in Fine Arts 9. Perhaps that old saying is true...there IS a hero inside each of us. Maybe we just need someone to help bring it out.