Last semester, during spring break, we had the chance to visit Ally. It’s taken me some time to pull together my notes, but returning to them now, I see how much they connect with my own teaching philosophy. We talked about early talent and what it means to bring value beyond technical skills; about the future of higher education in a rapidly changing, AI-driven world; and about the importance of curiosity, creativity, and resilience. These ideas have stayed with me, and in many ways, they’ve pushed me to reflect on how I can better prepare my students. Not just with knowledge, but with the confidence and adaptability to thrive.
The x-Factor of early talent
One of the themes from the visit that really stuck with me was the value of early talent. Interns and new graduates don’t just add skills; they bring energy, curiosity, and the courage to ask “why?” That fresh perspective helps organizations grow and keeps them learning.
In my notes, I scribbled down something about the “X-factor” for early talent—not just being a good worker, but being someone who can lean in, learn, and lend. Learn what’s going on first, of course, and bring a good attitude. But also be unique. Don’t just assimilate. Bring value.
That line—don’t just assimilate—hit me hard. My immediate thought was: how do we help students grow into this?
Teamwork and attitude seem like obvious places to start, but just saying “group work is good” feels vague. I think one challenge is breaking out of the “I’ll teach you this, and you need to memorize it” mindset, and instead building environments where students can practice speaking up, sharing ideas, and leaning into their own creativity. To take risks. To build confidence.
That connects so much with what I love about student-centered teaching. I don’t want to be the sage on the stage. I want to be the guide on the side. Creating spaces where students can try things out, challenge each other, and see their own value reflected back at them. To show them that it’s okay to fail. Failure is going to happen. What matters is coming back from it, learning from it, and trying something new.
This was one of the hardest lessons I had to learn myself during the PhD. I carried perfectionism with me all throughout school, and it made it really difficult when experiments failed or when a paper didn’t get accepted. At first, each failure felt crushing. But over time, I learned not to let it break me. I had to let it push me to grow further instead. That shift in mindset is something I want to pass along to my students. Many of them seem afraid of taking those risks and instead, take the easiest, safest path. But that’s not how we grow. Challenge can be uncomfortable, and that’s OK.
Rethinking the Value of College
One question, perhaps uncomfortable, raised during the visit was: Where is the value of higher education in 10 years? However uncomfortable, this is so important for us to think about. As someone building a career in academia, I can’t help but wonder: will I still be here doing what I care about? It’s not an easy question, but it’s one worth sitting with.
What became clear in our conversations is that higher education has to evolve. Personalized learning is critical. Mass-produced degrees won’t serve the future workforce in the same way they have in the past. They risk becoming irrelevant unless we adapt.
Throughout these discussions, I loved the idea that the future lies in tight partnerships between industry and academia. Technology, especially AI, is evolving at a pace we’ve never seen before. To keep up, education must become more cross-dimensional and multi-modal, moving away from the neat, linear pathways of the past.
But beyond technology, I think the value of higher education will come from what it offers that can’t be replicated by AI or bootcamps: culture, community, and personal growth. Universities can be a space where students develop soft skills, social skills, and confidence. It can be a place where they learn to reflect, grow as people, and discover who they want to become. In many ways, higher ed should be less about delivering fixed content and more about cultivating self-discovery.
This vision feels both daunting and exciting. It challenges us to be creative, to adapt, and to think critically about the world we want to create. And the role universities will play in shaping it.
Learning How to Learn
We also heard from alumni during the visit, and one question asked was “How did CCI prepare you?” One answer struck me: “learning how to learn.” It’s not just about being taught the tech—it’s about developing the ability to keep learning in new contexts. That line has stayed with me as I think about how to design my classes.
This connects to a broader point from the visit: companies aren’t just hiring technical specialists. They’re looking for people who can problem-solve, adapt, and keep learning. They want “jacks of all trades.” Honestly, that was so reassuring for me personally. I remember doing a senior reflective project as an undergrad on the fuller version of the quote: “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one.” For years, I thought my love of learning different skills was a weakness. Now I see it as a strength.
When thinking about my students, this reinforces the importance of the elasticity of the brain, critical thinking, and problem-solving. I already try to encourage this by allowing flexibility in projects: if a student wants to use a language we don’t cover in class, or experiment with a new tool or model, I say go for it, and we’ll be here to support you. I’d like to keep thinking about what else I can do to help them develop these skills more intentionally.
Portfolios, Passion, and Projects
Another theme I noted was the importance of helping students create something interesting to talk about in interviews. Companies want to see passion, initiative, and projects—not just GPA. If students don’t have internships to showcase, then projects can help fill that gap.
I’ve been leaning into this already with open-ended projects and portfolios in my upper-level classes. I believe giving students space to choose directions, explore interests, and showcase their work is one of the best ways to help them stand out.
Building Bridges with Industry
This naturally connects to another takeaway: the importance of academic and industry partnerships. Portfolios and projects give students something to showcase, but connecting those projects to the real world makes them even more powerful.
I’ve noticed that students get especially excited when they can see how their classroom work ties directly to their futures. When we bring in guest speakers, alumni, or industry examples, the energy shifts. They can imagine themselves in those roles, and it sparks motivation and inspiration in ways that assignments alone can’t. It shows them that this isn’t just busy work or hoops to jump through for a grade. The grade isn’t the point. The learning is. What they’re building now really does matter, and it will carry into their futures.
One of my TAs shared something with me recently that really confirmed this. While reading through student reflections, they noticed several students writing about how positive the career fair experience was. And even better, a few mentioned that they were finding the skills from class directly relevant to the roles they were applying for. Hearing that was such a powerful reminder of why this connection between the classroom and career matters so much.
I’ve already started putting this into practice with guest speakers in my classes (with the help of Jay Skipworth—I am so grateful!). Students have reacted so positively, and I’ve been learning a lot from these experiences as well. Building these bridges helps students, but it also helps us as educators understand better what skills, experiences, and mindsets they’ll need to thrive after graduation.
Fostering Curiosity
If I were to distill all my notes and thoughts into one core theme, it’s this: foster curiosity. Encourage students to be present, find passion, spark interest, and show initiative. Yes, theory and technical skills matter. Yes, soft skills and hands-on practice matter. But at the heart of it all, I want to build a space where students feel safe to take risks, try new things, and grow.
I’m grateful we had the chance to hear directly from Ally about these themes, and I’m glad to finally put these reflections into words. Even if it is a semester later.
✨ Transparency note: This reflection started as a jumble of scribbles in my notebook. ChatGPT-5 helped me shape them into something more readable, but the reflections and stories are mine.
Aileen Benedict 