Khalilah Reddie Recognized for Commitment to Student Success
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06/27/2022
By Brooke Coupal
Long after classes have ended for the day, there is often a light shining in the window of Chemistry Assoc. Teaching Prof. Khalilah Reddie鈥檚 office.
鈥淒r. Reddie spends more time on the 51视频 campus than any other professor,鈥� says David Long, who graduated in 2021 with a degree in biological sciences.
Reddie is known for putting in the extra hours to ensure that her organic chemistry students are set up for success, both in and out of the classroom. In recognition of that dedication, Reddie was recently awarded the .
鈥淚 am elated with the recognition. It reflects the culmination of my work that the university has supported not only in the classroom but across the breadth of student experiences on campus over the past 10 years,鈥� says Reddie, who joined UML鈥檚 faculty in 2012. 鈥淭he Manning Prize represents for me the committee's belief in my steadfast and continued dedication to excellence at 51视频.鈥�
The annual prize was established by Robert 鈥�84, 鈥�11 (H) and Donna 鈥�85, 鈥�91, 鈥�11 (H) Manning to honor outstanding faculty members from each of the five UMass campuses.
鈥淜halilah has a passion for teaching. She has a passion for our students. And she has a passion for doing everything that she can so that our students are successful,鈥� says Kennedy College of Sciences Dean Noureddine Melikechi. 鈥淪he is a treasure here at 51视频.鈥�
Fred Martin, the KCS associate dean for teaching, learning and undergraduate studies, nominated Reddie for the Manning Prize.
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鈥淗er commitment to our students is legendary,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淪he goes above and beyond to make sure that each student is doing well.鈥�
Students Flourish with Tutoring
To help students succeed in organic chemistry, a notoriously difficult course, Reddie developed a peer tutoring program so undergraduates can get help from others who took the class and succeeded.
鈥淲e used to go to the dining hall over on East Campus on Wednesday nights when it closed, and we would have study sessions there all night,鈥� she says.
Reddie welcomes the tutors into the classroom so students can get extra help before class starts. Martin says by normalizing tutoring, Reddie has created an environment where students feel comfortable seeking support.聽
鈥淭here鈥檚 this real stigma associated with receiving tutoring, and she鈥檚 erased that by integrating tutoring support into the way that she teaches,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an expectation that she creates in her students and that transformed the success rates in that class.鈥�
Reddie values the feedback that she gets from her students and uses that to improve the course. Long, who served as an organic chemistry tutor during his time at UML, appreciated this.
鈥淪he takes a lot of steps to better her teaching, and she takes feedback from her tutors and her students to figure out how to make the course better and more accessible,鈥� he says.
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鈥淪tudents know I鈥檓 working late; they know I鈥檓 here sometimes on the weekends; they know I used to have study sessions the day after Thanksgiving. And so, they see all that effort, and they feel obligated to match that in their own capacity,鈥� Reddie says.
Feeling the MAGIC
Reddie鈥檚 goal is that all students succeed not only in her class, but also in their career endeavors.聽
An published in the Boston Globe in 2019 was a stark realization for Reddie that some of the brightest students graduating from Boston public high schools, many of whom were minorities, were failing to achieve their dreams of joining the medical field. Valedictorians interviewed for the article recalled falling behind in college courses like chemistry, which ultimately discouraged them from pursuing medical degrees.
鈥淎s a minority professor on campus, I thought about what I could do to motivate students who felt insecure about their aspirations of joining the health profession,鈥� says Reddie, who is from Jamaica.
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鈥淭he program has helped elevate minority students鈥� success so that their science GPA is not the reason someone will say to them that they鈥檙e not qualified to proceed into medical school,鈥� she says.
Along with academic support, the program gives students the confidence to pursue advanced degrees and jobs in the health field.
鈥淢AGIC taught me that anything is possible,鈥� says Ruth Opare-Darko, a rising junior biology major from Worcester, Massachusetts, whose goal is to become a pediatrician. 鈥淚f it were not for Dr. Reddie and MAGIC, I would not be where I am today.鈥�
Nathan Johnson, a rising junior biomedical engineering major from Pepperell, Massachusetts, was inspired by Reddie while taking her class during the spring semester.聽
鈥淪he鈥檚 the first Jamaican professor I鈥檝e ever come across, and it鈥檚 cool to see someone whose background is similar and is doing great things,鈥� says Johnson, whose father was born and raised in Jamaica.聽
鈥淪he鈥檚 like the Bill Russell of chemistry,鈥� he added, comparing Reddie to the former Boston Celtics great and basketball Hall of Famer.
A Calling to Teach
While Reddie has received several awards for teaching, she did not always plan on becoming a professor.
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鈥淎s a postdoc, I was very much into research,鈥� she says.
While there, she worked in a professor鈥檚 lab. When the professor had to go away for a conference, Reddie stepped in to teach an organic chemistry class.
鈥淲hen I was done substituting for my professor, the whole auditorium stood up and clapped,鈥� she recalls.
At that moment, Reddie realized she enjoyed teaching and went into a postdoctoral teaching program at the University of Michigan. She also completed a teaching fellowship, as well as postdoctoral research, at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
鈥淏eing a professor really feels like a calling,鈥� Reddie says. 鈥淪ince I鈥檝e been on this path, about 10 years now, I鈥檝e never contemplated doing anything else.鈥�
