Connecting Over Coffee: How the CHC Lunch & Learn Grant Brought Me Closer to a Journalism Mentor

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The Honors College has recently opened a grant available to first-year, sophomore, and junior students—the CHC Lunch & Learn Connection Grant—which is intended to encourage students to invite a professor to lunch at one of the university’s many dining halls or cafés. The goal is for students to foster a one-on-one connection with a professor outside the classroom and show their appreciation.

Recently, I invited journalism professor Karen List to grab coffee or a bite to eat at Peet's Coffee & Tea on the first floor of the Integrated Learning Center. We each ordered an iced latte—mine with vanilla and hers with caramel. Once we got our drinks, we found a spot to sit near the café and began our conversation.

I had not met List before, but I had heard about her through my journalism peers, who sing her praises. She was the chair of the department for nine years and has taught an abundance of classes that her students always adore. Of course, I was eager to meet her before I graduate, so I sent her an email introducing myself and explaining the purpose of the CHC Lunch & Learn Connection Grant. She was happy to hear from a student she had not previously taught and accepted the invitation!

Meeting with List was a great experience—we spent over an hour chatting about journalism and sharing personal anecdotes. As a longtime supporter of the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, she was especially interested in hearing about my involvement with the newspaper. We discussed how important it is for student journalists to engage with campus media. We also bonded over our shared love of travel, particularly through Europe, and she offered me some wonderful recommendations for countries and cities to visit after graduation. 

It was an invaluable experience hearing about List’s journey in the world of journalism, and she provided me with advice and words of encouragement as I begin my own path into the field.

After finishing our lattes from Peet’s, we decided to head back upstairs to the Journalism Hub and continue our conversation until List had to begin preparing for her next class. As our time began to dwindle, I was thrilled that I had chosen to invite List to lunch but also saddened that I had not met her earlier. The Lunch & Learn grant is a wonderful opportunity to connect with a current, former, or future professor, so I encourage you to apply and take advantage of it.

While I had just met List only an hour or so before, I left the conversation feeling as though I had just made a new friend.