By Landon Reid
Contributing Writer
The room is a tan color, with three bright lights above where the students sit. On the left side of the room, a long wall is seen with a standard chalkboard on it, with the word “morning” written surrounded by scribbles. On the other side of the room, posters are hung promoting the Tyler Junior College Cultural Arts program, and in the front of the room, stands a podium for students to speak from. A man walks in before the scheduled start time, wearing a magenta suit jacket and a pair of pressed khaki pants. His appearance assured his students he is not a professor just going through the motions, but a dedicated educator. He sits in a chair beside the computer, pulling out his ID to reveal the name Alfonso Ippolito. “Good morning class, let’s get started for today,” Ippolito said.
Alfonso Ippolito, better known to his students as Mr. I, is the son of immigrant parents who always championed for education in his life. He grew up loving to draw and was fascinated with the idea of becoming an architect for a career, leading him down the line to pursue his first degree in civil engineering.
It was from there where he began an internship with Carrier Air Conditioning, taking him all over the world to places like London, Paris and Rome. He began working with General Electric after leaving Carrier.
Photo by Chris SwannGetting into communications was a byproduct of his engineering work, not an intentional career shift by Ippolito.
“Most engineers were very bright and could come up with great ideas but had difficulty in explaining their ideas so earning a communication degree could be a big help, professionally,” Ippolito said, “So I did.”
GE offered Ippolito a full scholarship, and he used that to earn his undergraduate degree in communications. He then went on to also receive his master’s degree for communications. During this time, he received an outstanding teaching assistant award.
According to iaeconsulting.org, Ippolito was granted the Rick Diamond Excellence in Education Award 2016-2017, The Thomas H. Shelby Jr. Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence 2017-2018 and STAR Professor Fall 2011 while teaching at TJC.
In regard to the Endowed Chair award, Ippolito said it was “the most humbling experience” in his life and nothing has been able to come close to receiving that honor. Ippolito said it is important to him because it allowed him to see how he is touching the lives of not just students but the faculty of TJC, as well.
One of the most important lessons he teaches his students on day one is, “In order to be an effective communicator, you have to have compassion, empathy, humility and respect.” These are the four values he makes all his students recite before anyone speaks in front of the class. He believes it’s that kind of environment that produces quality learning and if he shows these four values for the students, they will show those values back to him. He also believes teaching at TJC is his way of giving back. He says many people in his life helped get him to where he is today, and he feels it is only right that he passes it on.
Braden Wilson, engineering major and former student of Ippolito, explains why his class was so beneficial to him.
“I always loved how his class was the kind of place where you never knew what to expect,” Wilson said. “He taught me how to truly be myself and speak to others on a level that I never thought was possible for myself. Since taking his class, not only have I noticed a difference in my professional life but also my personal life. I am more open to others now and not afraid to be myself around them, allowing others to see a side of me that one would never have known if it wasn’t for Mr. I.”
In the future, Ippolito said he has plans to possibly pursue his doctoral degree in communications. He has no plans to retire anytime soon, and expects that he will always have his “finger in the education pie.” He believes education is exciting and sees the rewards it has for not just him but the lives of students that he impacts.
“We are all lifelong learners, and we never really stop learning,” Ippolito said.