(Photos by Andrea Hahn)
July 20, 2011
Ten questions with ... Cheryl Ernst
Job on campus/department you work in: Director, Center for English as a Second Language
How long at SIUC: Eight years
Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska
When you were a youngster, what did you want to be when you grew up? Anything dealing with living abroad. I loved far-away places, cultures, and languages. Now I work in an environment where the languages and cultures come to me!
People don’t know that … I am certified to operate a 24-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (in Flagstaff, Ariz., no less!)
If you could choose another profession, what would it be and why? Planetary geologist. I am an amateur astronomer and an armchair geologist, so this would allow me to study two things I really enjoy. I’m partial to volcanism and glaciation.
If you could pick an actor/actress to play you in a movie, who would you pick and why? My husband keeps saying Kate Winslet. I think he’s nuts.
What is one random fact about you? I flew to Italy from New York for a day on a cargo plane just because it was leaving at a certain time. Going back to coach was REALLY hard.
Cats or dogs? Birds. I like both cats and dogs, but I LOVE birds!
What is your favorite food and why? Anything Indian. I love the smells and the flavors.
Who has inspired you, and how? I am always inspired by the people I am around. There’s never really been any one person. Rather, I notice qualities in folks and I decide what I want to emulate in them.
What is your pet peeve? People or situations that make tasks more complicated than they need to be.
What would you like your gravestone to say about you? She’s not done yet!