Men's tennis player Juan Lugo & Dr. Sherri Hardin featured

About Juan Lugo: 

• 5-10 senior
• Native of Maracay, Venezuela

About Dr. Hardin: 

• Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics 
• Owns a B.S. in Math, an M.Ed. in Math Education and an Ed.D in Adminstration in Higher Administration, all from ETSU
• Has been teaching at ETSU for 30 years

Juan Lugo and Dr. Hardin on ETSU's campus

         Q&A with Juan Lugo:

• What did you like most about Dr. Hardin's class? I was in Ms. Hardin’s class two years ago and what I liked the most about her class was that she wanted all the students to learn. After explaining a chapter, she asked if everybody understood the chapter, and if someone had a question she didn’t have a problem going back and explaining it again.
•  What makes Dr. Hardin a good teacher? She was very patient. She made me feel like she loved what she was doing because she always had a smile, or she didn’t show when she was mad and that made me feel good. Also, I am an international student and English is my second language and I liked that she helped me if I didn’t understand anything because of the language.
• What is something you’re involved in outside of class and sports that we may not know? I am trying to learn new languages. I like to listen to music ALL DAY. I usually turn off the alarm and play some music to wake up. Sometimes I play video games, but it is a really difficult question to answer because I like to play sports with my friends like baseball, ping pong, or maybe just go to the gym.
• How do you manage academics, athletics and a social life? What is your key to good time management? I used to struggle a lot in my first two years because of the language barrier and because I only had one friend from my home country and without him it would be a lot more difficult. Now I am a senior and this last year was a little better. I think a calendar is a pretty good idea to manage my time. I usually try to write everything I have during the month (tournaments, exams, assignments, and more). Also, I live with some of my teammates and cooking together has helped us a lot because one day I can cook and they can finish they homework or maybe they can rest and do whatever they want while I cook, and the next day it’s my turn to rest or do homework, so we helpe each other!
• What is your favorite spot on campus? My favorite spot on campus is the mini dome. It sounds weird but in the spring it is really cold and in the mini dome I can practice, take warm baths in the trainer room, or simply rest between classes in the locker room.
• What is the most important skill you've learned through participation in your sport? I have been trying to learn how to play for a team. Tennis is an individual sport and that’s how I played it my whole life so when I came here it was a little difficult. I still prefer to play individually because that’s how I played it for 13 years, but it has been a good experience. The good thing is that now there are some professional tournaments that they play as a team so if one day I get there I will know how to play tennis like that!
• Do you have any nicknames? Or if you could choose your own, what would it be and why? I already have a nickname - “Juanchi”. It was given by my first tennis professor and that’s what most of my friends call me. 
• What are your plans post grad? I would like to try to play professional tennis. It is very expensive, and I would have to work a lot, but I would really like to try. If I can’t do that, I would like to be an assistant coach and do a master in a different state so I can have more experience in what I am studying and learn about a new state in the US.
  
  Q&A with Dr. Hardin:
• What was it like having Juan in your class? Juan is an excellent student athlete. He is very friendly and polite. He is always smiling, and he is quick to help other students in the class with math questions or computer problems. Juan is self-disciplined and he is a great role model for other students.
• What is your favorite sport or hobby? What do you like to do in your free time? love all college sports. We like to watch college football, basketball, and baseball at the Hardin house. In my free time I love watching the old black and white re-runs of “The Andy Griffith Show.” On every Probability & Statistics exam I give an “Andy Griffith Trivia Question” for bonus points. I tell my students it will make them a better person if they watch “The Andy Griffith Show.” There is a good moral to every episode.
• How often are you able to watch your student-athletes compete? I never watched Juan compete in a real tennis tournament --- but in the winter months I walk in ETSU’s minidome daily and I LOVE watching the men’s tennis team practice. They always play the BEST Latin hip-hop music very loudly while they practice and it is great walking music. It gets me “pumped up.”
• What’s your favorite spot on campus? Sitting on the steps or under the big trees in front of Gilbreath Hall. It’s a great view of the campus and the ETSU carillon (bell tower). When I have a few free minutes to spend at this spot, I take the time to count my blessings and really appreciate this beautiful campus that I get to call my work place. It’s not really work when you love what you’re doing on a daily basis.
• What is your favorite thing about teaching? I love interacting with the students and I enjoy taking a somewhat difficult subject like Probability & Statistics and making it a little bit easier and sometimes “fun” for my students.
• What would students be surprised to find out about you? I have been held hostage at gun point when I was in college and I lived to tell about it!
• What is one class your schools offers that you wish you could take? Marksmanship!

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.