Dr. Cynthia Newton
By Cheyenne Lazarus (Whetstone Staff Writer)
CL: How long have you been teaching?
CN: 10 years. I taught at Norwich University, which is a military college; St. Michael’s Catholic College, Clark University in Massachusetts; and Northeastern University while working on my Ph.D.
CL: How have you changed your style since you started teaching?
CN: I really relaxed in the classroom. There’s much less work and stress.
CL: What rewards do you personally get from teaching?
CN: I like seeing students grow and mature. I like the light bulb moment when I see it in someone and it just clicks.
CL: Where did you go to college? What was your major?
CN: I went to Assumption College for my Bachelor’s in Politics and Women’s Studies; Clark University for my Master’s in Public Administration; and Northeastern University for my Ph.D. in Public and International Affairs.
CL: What is your favorite class to teach?
CN: American Politics, but I also like nerdy things like constitutional law.
CL: What drew you to this field?
CN: I have been active in political and social rights. I took a political science class in college and it inspired me and made me figure out what I wanted to do.
CL: What was your worst or most interesting job that you had while going to school?
CN: When I was an undergrad, I had a job in the dining hall and it was at a private Catholic college. The way the students treated the workers was horrifying.
CL: Where did you grow up?
CN: Springfield, Mass., until I moved away for college.
CL: Any favorite movies and what are they?
CN: Yes, it came out in 1971, Harold and Maud, and the original D.O.A.
CL: Do you have a favorite book?
CN: Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, From Who the Bell Tolls by Hemingway and Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.
CL: Do you have a favorite artist?
CN: Peter Murphy and Peter Tosh.
CL: Have any favorite hobbies you like to do when you’re not working?
CN: I like to read. I usually have three or four4 books going at one time. I like to garden and work out.
CL: What are you most passionate about in life?
CN: The power of education and getting people to care and involved, but education is what I am most passionate about.
