Episode Three: Learning To Surf
EP. 03
When Chris Patti was a kid growing up in Laguna Beach, California, Appalachian State University was the last place he thought he’d end up, for many reasons. The first of these reasons is that he’d never even heard of it. The second is he couldn’t get away from education fast enough. Fast forward to 2013, Patti is graduating with his PhD from the University of South Florida and looking for a job as a professor. This would lead him to the Appalachian Mountains, where some of his life’s most important events would take place.
When we came to App State, we didn’t know just how much Dr. Patti would change our lives for the better, either. This episode partly involves our own struggles with academia and mental health, and how Dr. Patti has helped us get through it. This is the story of how Dr. Patti got here, where he’s been and where we should all be going next.
If you enjoyed the episode and want more of Dr. Patti, shoot him an email at patticj@appstate.edu to get access to the articles we mentioned in the episode. Dr. Patti would especially love it if people read his work with Holocaust survivor Sal Wainberg in the article “Sharing a Big Kettle of Soup: Compassionate Listening With A Holocaust Survivor.”
If you liked the songs from Dr. Patti and Phil Allen’s collaboration “Mr. Radar,” you can check those out here.
**Small correction: At minute 31:43, Dr. Patti mentions a book by Stephen King called “On Reading.” The title of the book is actually “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” by Stephen King.
Listen to the full episode:
