More than a Meal: Nina's Lunch and Learn Grant Experience

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Nina with Prof. List at Peet's Coffee and Tea

This article was written by CHC alum Nina Prenosil during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Commonwealth Honors College is proud to fund the CHC Lunch & Learn Connection Grant for first-year, sophomore, and junior students. This grant is intended to encourage students to invite a professor to lunch at one of UMass’s many dining halls or cafes. The goal is for students to foster a one-on-one connection with the professor outside of the classroom and show 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 order, we found a spot to sit near the cafe and began our conversation.

The Integrative Learning Center

Previously, I had not met List, but had heard about her through my journalism peers who sang her praises. She was the chair of the department for nine years and has taught many classes that her students always adore. 

Of course, I was eager to meet her before I graduated, so I sent her an email introducing myself and explained the purpose of the CHC Lunch & Learn Connection Grant. She was happy to hear from a student she had not previously had in class 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 began my own foray 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 away, I was thrilled that I had chosen to invite List to lunch, but was also saddened that I had not met her earlier. The Lunch & Learn grant is a wonderful chance to connect with a former, current, or future professor you may have, so I encourage you to apply and take advantage of the opportunity. 

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