By: Elisabeth García
Phelps is a
sophomore majoring in civil engineering and New College with a depth study in
urban education and social improvement.
The Bama
fan hails from Tiger country: New Orleans, La. He’s not a passive student
either.
Even before attending UA, Phelps
earned one of the freshmen spots in the University Fellows Experience, where he
met fellow director Michael Forst. Throughout his freshmen year, he also acted
as a co-chair for Freshman Forum.
This year, Phelps headed Bama
Buddies on campus, a campus-wide service project that allows organizations or
individuals to create and customize stuffed animals for local children.
Continuing
as a Fellow, he is also a member of Lambda Sigma, a sophomore honor society.
Phelps also attends The Well at Calvary Baptist Church.
His
favorite class, Dynamics of American Education, was the first education-related
class he took after feeling called into the field, he said.
“It is
entirely discussion based,” he said. “With opinions ranging from traditional to
progressive, the discussions have provided the perfect sounding board for new
ideas and have shaped many of my current views on charter schools, No Child
Left Behind, and alternative certification programs.”
Due to his
enthusiasm in this area, Phelps is currently eyeing a career in education.
“Whether
obtaining certification from graduate school or other non-traditional route, I
plan to teach for many years,” he said.
At present,
he’s not sure which age range he will end up teaching, but he plans to teach
middle school or high school in an urban environment.
He said one of his educator role
models, Ron Clark, argued that middle school is the critical time in life for
changing paradigms and ensuring future success, which is what he is leaning
towards.
Phelps said his favorite moment
thus far at UA was last winter’s campus-wide snowball fight on the quad. He
said close to a thousand random students ran around, forming spontaneous teams
and hurling thousands of frosty grenades at one another.
“The climax of the evening was when one of the snowball throwers shouted
the email announcing classes were canceled, and a collective ‘Roll Tide’ was
heard across campus,” he said.
Phelps enjoys tuning into Pandora
for an eclectic mix of Michael Buble, Janelle Monae, Matt Nathanson, Adele, and
Earth, Wind, and Fire. Confident in his musical taste, Phelps said it’s the
best station ever.
As for other bests, he said the
best ending could be found in his favorite film, “The Prestige.” His favorite
book, “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell, is also top-notch as a
bestseller.
Working as a director for the
SOURCE, he and his team strive to do the best work possible. Together, they
build a campus brand aligned with effectiveness and efficiency, he said.
“My team is not here to simply
control or supervise organizations, but to build infrastructure for campus
leaders to further pursue their passions,” Phelps said.
This includes publicizing SOURCE
opportunities and resources as well as creating, developing and implementing
projects that increase the impact of campus leaders.
Phelps said his team is also
finalizing two new projects. The first, SOURCE Course, uses a series of videos
to demonstrate useful online tools and basic campus functions.
The second is called the Lasso.
This tool will act as an activity database offering leaders creative ways to
promote teamwork and harmonious collaboration.
This type of synergy has started
within Phelps’ own group. He said it’s been a joy and honor to work with his
teammates and fellow directors.
“I have certainly asked an absurd
number of questions and made lots of mistakes, but I am confident we can
continue our momentum into the future,” he said.
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