CBC Preceptor Spotlight: Coltton Kirkpatrick

"My name is Coltton Kirkpatrick, I am a junior at the University of Arizona majoring in Veterinary Science with a minor in Physiology and Medical Sciences. As a General Chemistry 151 and 152 preceptor, my tasks are to support students with understanding the foundations of Chemistry by answering questions in class and office hours as well as interacting and collaborating with the learning team of preceptors to ensure us preceptors are accurate and reliable in our explanations for questions. After two semesters of preceptoring, I have valued the connections I have made with the students! It is amazing to see them advance their knowledge in Chemistry and succeed in the class. Every student has a different way of learning the content and it is exciting to use various techniques to help each student learn the content in their own ways. I have made friends as a preceptor in General Chemistry with students I was helping with in class and my office hours! On top of making friends with the students, I got to meet and become friends with other preceptors, which I am ever grateful for (#teamhidalgo)! Moreover, I got to see the behind the scenes of teaching, which is fascinating to see the efforts professors make to support their students with Chemistry since it is a difficult topic for many students. I love seeing the professor, specifically Dr. Hidalgo, interact with students to gauge their understanding of the material and sacrifice her time outside of the classroom to connect with students! It truly is fascinating to see professors at the University of Arizona become so close with the students inside and outside of academics! For future students, believe in yourself and don't give up! You are an intelligent, creative, and amazing human being that is capable of tackling the most difficult of challenges! Everyone around you is here to support you and always feel free to ask for help! At the end of the day, I have grown as a person and student and hope to help more students in their academic endeavors!" ~ Colton.