Tina Hartt, a graduate of the BA program in Sociology and third-year student in the Sociology Master's program, agreed to share a student's perspective on learning at CU Denver:

Having a mentor means you get (whether you want it or not sometimes) guidance, feedback, support, care, taught how to sharpen your critical thinking skills, and a constant challenge to grow in the area of expertise in which you are interested. It will probably be one of my greatest achievements that I got my mentor, Dr. Candan Duran-Aydintug, Associate Professor of Sociology, to allow me to share with the world this story, as she is one of the most humble (yet strongly confident) people I know. As most readers probably know, getting a professor to say yes to something they 1) do not want to do, and 2) in which they have the choice to say no, is an achievement. Regardless, I had to ask Candan's permission to include her in this story. As I asked her, she gave me one of those looks she has now for almost five years that said, "I am not going to talk about this right now. Do your work, and then I will let you know my decision."

Doing "my work" was something of a tricky trade to learn. Sociology teaches its students to peel back layers methodologically in order to address the meanings behind real issues in society that are often being obscured. It also teaches students to understand the "world-taken-for-granted" by questioning what we see and experience. As I sit down to write this essay, I intend to peel back some layers of my almost five years of experience at the University of Colorado Denver and take notice of something that is easily obscured and taken for granted; the opportunity students get to engage in an honest, integrity-driven, caring, student-faculty relationship. The layers in this story begin with my discovery of Sociology and what that meant for my life. The next layer involves how my passion for Sociology increased through my education at CU Denver. Finally, I want to stress how working with a mentor/advisor helped me to enjoy the challenge of my education and experiences at the University of Colorado Denver.

My story at the CU Denver began in January 2009 as an undergraduate junior transfer student who had been away from school for a few years. I graduated with a BA in Sociology from CU Denver in July 2010, and returned to begin my MA in Sociology in August of 2012. I enter this school year with my graduate coursework complete, and I am working on my thesis which involves my own research topic and designs, approved through the Colorado Institutional Review Board. Most excitedly, I am on track to graduate in spring 2015.

The intrigue of Sociology for me is that it focuses on the reciprocal force between society and self and how this changes over time. The foundation of Sociology is rooted in empirical and time-tested theories and research methods that teach ways of understanding how society changes, and how to measure those changes and apply the findings to serve society and self. For me, after majoring in biology for almost three years, with my sights set on becoming a physician, I realized my interests changed and I needed to apply this change in my studies. Even though biology was interesting to me and I had earned a high GPA in the major, I had lingering questions about people and society as a whole that were not being answered. After my first class in sociology I realized it was where I belonged, and I was excited to learn what this discipline had to offer. Life does not always go as we plan, yet what we do with the transitions can make all the difference. To put it more eloquently, Joseph Campbell said, "We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

I remember sitting in a classroom in January 2009, on my first day at the University of Colorado Denver, waiting for the professor to arrive and class to begin, and how nervous I had been to walk into that classroom. I sat wondering how far I would take my education, and if my passion for this new discipline of sociology would ever turn into something, when Candan Duran-Aydintug walked into that classroom and my life. With a warm smile on her face she stood firmly in front of the class, scanned the room (still with a smile) and said, "Well, hello, Welcome to Sociology of the Family." My tension started to melt. After her introduction and going through the syllabus it was clear this professor required a lot of reading, writing and being accountable for what we learned. Although this professor's biological make-up put her in the petite category, her teaching, reading materials and class structure were anything but petite.

While earning my BA in Sociology from 2009-2010, I took classes in as many different topics in Sociology as I could, in order to find the area in which I would be most interested. By the end of my BA I was focused on Social Psychology and Sociology of the Family. I had taken twelve courses in total from the department and two from Dr. Duran-Aydintug. Though we only had class together twice, she was one of the factors that eventually made me choose my graduate program at the University of Colorado Denver. I appreciated most of my instructors, and gained diverse knowledge and experience from all of my classes, but what made me return for my Master of Sociology degree at the University of Colorado Denver were a few specific things; 1) The environment of diverse backgrounds among students, 2) The campus environment and, 3) Knowing I could learn first-hand from Dr. Duran-Aydintug. It was important to me to be taught and trained by someone who had strong credentials in Sociology. Using her areas of expertise in Sociology of the Family and Social Psychology, Dr. Candan Duran-Aydintug helped me carve my purposeful path in Sociology.

Never once did her teaching or material fail me. When I needed coaching in writing and presenting, she was specific and offered guidance that helped. I learned that having a mentor is vital in becoming a more complete student, both personally and professionally. My mentor has a quote at the bottom of her emails attributed to Albert Einstein that reads, "Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another; it is the only means." After knowing and working with Dr. Candan Duran-Aydintug for five years now, I can say this quote represents what she has given to me and other students at this University. I will have taken twenty-two Sociology classes combined to earn my BA and finish my coursework for my MA at the University of Colorado Denver. Nine of those classes (which include my last year of thesis credits) have been from Dr. Duran-Aydintug, and what I have learned is priceless. There is another quote by Albert Einstein that summarizes what a mentor can do for a student if they should to choose to care, "The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving."

It was just last semester I was waiting to speak with Candan prior to her undergraduate Family course; a course I had taken four years earlier. Prior to talking with her I had to wait for one of her students to finish talking with her. I watched this student listen and look at her with the same respect I did four years ago, and do today. While waiting, I also introduced myself to a few of her students who were sitting in class and asked them if they were enjoying her course. They said, "yes" and a few said how "cool" the material is. I said, "It is pretty fun stuff isn't it?" They said, "yes." I said, "Have you figured out that you better know your stuff for her tests?" They all simultaneously smiled, sighed and rolled their eyes while saying, "Ohhhh yes!" I realized that "my" story with Candan was similar with other students. Those students, like me, have the honor of passing on what they have learned from Dr. Duran-Aydintug in both themselves and in society.

Dr. Candan Duran-Aydintug is a professor that teaches the best of current, sociological academic knowledge. Her classes are interactive and help students learn to apply sociological knowledge to themselves and society. She works with students to help them understand what seem to be the conundrums of Sociology Theory and Research Methods while also sincerely caring about her students as individuals. Finally, she holds some of the highest standards I have ever experienced in my academic career which make students become the best they can be and keeps sociology a reputable discipline. To put it from a student's point of view; by the end of the semester when you think you cannot read or write anymore for her class, your term paper and final exam will soon be due. The light at the end of the tunnel comes when your final paper is done and you think, "Did I just write that? Wow, I am pretty smart; thank you Candan."

During my time at CU Denver I have had a range of opportunities that have enhanced my experience outside the classroom. I volunteered for the Sociology Club sponsored Prom Drive Event at Kennedy High School (an event that puts together clothing and accessories for high school students to come into a room at the high school and pick out their outfit and accessories for their big prom day). I volunteered to help with various Sociology Graduate events and Sociology Department activities which have been beneficial for me in getting to know other students and faculty. Serving on the Dean's Student Advisory Council and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Identity Taskforce were two unexpected and highly beneficial experiences for which I am thankful. I was a Teaching Assistant during both semesters in my second year and this offered me insight into the Professor's "side" of the classroom. I was able to get to know students on a different level and for me that was the greatest part of being a TA. But by far, the most memorable experience of these has to be when I presented my own research and paper at the Annual Pacific Sociological Association Conference last spring, where Dr. Duran-Aydintug accompanied me. As I stood up after being announced to present my research, I was comfortable. The comfort came from the training and assistance Candan had given me in my education and preparing for this conference. My time at CU Denver has been both rewarding and refreshing even amongst the hard work and doubts I experienced as both an undergraduate and graduate student. Without a mentor, I am confident I would not be as firmly rooted in this discipline as I am today.

This University and my mentor challenged me to cultivate my passion into a purpose for my life and for that, I am grateful. Receiving an education is an honor and privilege, yet what we do with this education is where value and purpose come alive. I can now focus on serving society with the tools I have gained from my time here at CU Denver. It is my hope that sharing my story reminds others (students, faculty and alumni) of the power of well-balanced relationships, in academia and in mentor/mentee situations everywhere. Life is too valuable to be taken for granted and left unquestioned. In recognizing the value of honesty, integrity-driven human relationships we have the opportunity to live with passion and purpose.