UNCG women's basketball player Alexis Pitchford and Dr. Killian Manning

About Alexis Pitchford:

• 5-9 guard
• Senior
• Native of Orlando, Fla.

About Dr. Manning: 

• Professor in the Communication Studies Department
• Owns a B.A. in German from Auburn University, an M.A. in Communication Studies from University of North Carolina, an M.T.S. in Theology from Boston University and a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Utah
• Has been teaching for 25 years, 16 of which have been at UNCG 

Q&A with Alexis Pitchford:

• What did you like most about Dr. Manning's class? What I loved most about Dr. Manning’s class was that she always taught us to think outside the box. She wanted us to see other perspectives before solidifying our own.
•  What makes Dr. Manning a good teacher? She wants everyone to succeed! She is flexible and will work with students to make sure they understand the material.
• What is something you’re involved in outside of class and sports that we may not know? There are a lot of things that I’m involved in outside of class and sports. A lot of people know I work for the Spartan Sportslink (that streams all of UNCG Athletics events on ESPN+ and the SoCoN Digital Network), Event Staff (assists the Facilities Department in coordinating UNCG Athletic Events) and write for the Carolinian (the UNCG student newspaper). But what they do not know is that I’m the promotions assistant at the UNCG Kaplan Center, where I produce videos and make social media posts for the UNCG RecWell program. 
• How do you manage academics, athletics and a social life? What is your key to good time management? My biggest key to good time management is Google Calendar and my planner. My google calendar keeps me on track as to where and when I have to be, but my planner keeps track of what tasks I must accomplish each day. I make appointments for everything: to do homework, get extra shots up, attend bible study, watch weekly tv shows with my friends, etc. But for those moments that I have free time, I’ll try to attend a campus event or another team’s game/match. 
• What is your favorite spot on campus? My favorite spot on campus would be the EUC because that’s where Chick-Fil-A is located. It’s my favorite on-campus food option, and they have a lounge area for students to sit at.
• What is the most important skill you've learned through participation in your sport? The most important skill is that I learned is communication. On the court, off the court, communication fixes a lot of unnecessary problems.
• Do you have any nicknames? Or if you could choose your own, what would it be and why? People call me AP,  but I didn’t start being called AP until I got to UNCG. But, people expanded it to AP3 because of my jersey number, and I think it sounds a lot better that way.
• What are your plans post grad? My post grad plans are to obtain a year long, full-time internship in broadcasting or videography. I want that internship to help me get my foot in the door somewhere and develop more experience in the workforce, and hopefully after that year, I can start grad school.
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   Q&A with Dr. Manning:
• What was it like having Alexis in your class? It was GREAT. Having been a varsity athlete myself, I am always interested in how today’s student athletes are coping with all of their responsibilities. Alexis was an exemplary student: engaged, asked great questions, and brought an amazing work ethic to the class.
• What is your favorite sport or hobby? What do you like to do in your free time? I am a dancer and a choreographer, so I am always in rehearsal making new work for my company, killianmanning/noforwardingaddress.
• How often are you able to watch your student-athletes compete? Unfortunately, not at all as I live in Chapel Hill. 
• What’s your favorite spot on campus? I love the meditation room in the basement of the EUC.
• What is your favorite thing about teaching? Connecting students with their passion so they can shine.
• What would students be surprised to find out about you? I’m kind of an open book, but they might be surprised to know that I cut my own hair.
• What is one class your schools offers that you wish you could take? ARH 352 or 353 - 20^th Century Art! 

About Classroom Connections: In its second year, Classroom Connections is a weekly feature that showcases student-athletes away from the playing field and highlights the relationship between student-athlete and professor.