Cross country/track athlete Savannah Carnahan and Dr. Liz Bouzarth 

About Savannah Carnahan: 

• 5-7 senior
• Native of Cumming, Ga.
• Double major in applied mathematics and chemistry

About Dr. Bouzarth: 

• Assistant Professor of Mathematics 
• Owns a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics from Dickinson College and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina
• Has been teaching for 12 years, nine of which have been at Furman

Savannah Carnahan and Dr. Bouzarth

         Q&A with Savannah Carnahan:

• What did you like most about Dr. Bouzarth's class? I took scientific computation and vector calculus with Dr. Bouzarth, and I really appreciated how much time and effort she put into organizing her class. I love being able to plan my life way in advance, and her organization really helped with that. 
•  What makes Dr. Bouzarth a good teacher? Dr. Bouzarth is a great teacher because of how much she cares about her students, both in and out of the classroom. She is great at helping with academic problems, but she really shines when you need to talk about life in general.
• What is something you’re involved in outside of class and sports that we may not know? I really enjoy cooking and baking. It’s just really fun to try out recipes and see what happens. Also, (if all goes well) it makes my apartment smell amazing, and I get to eat the results.
• How do you manage academics, athletics and a social life? What is your key to good time management? The keys to good time management are planning, prioritization, and grace. I have a planner, and I think through what I need to get done and when. However, sometimes not everything can get done, and I have to recognize what the most important things are at that moment. Sometimes, like finals week, it’s school. On nationals week, it’s my sport. But it’s always a give and take. I think the thing that I’ve learned most throughout college is that people should always be a priority, and that includes myself. Being intentional about taking time for self-care, whether in the form of time with friends or relaxing by myself, has helped me so much.
• What is your favorite spot on campus? I love running the lake loop in the morning just as the sun is coming up. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
• What is the most important skill you've learned through participation in your sport? The skill of recognizing others’ strengths, even if they are different from my own. I have teammates that are incredible hill runners and sprinters, and training with them helps me become a better version of myself. The same holds true outside of running. I can often be overly logical and cut-and-dried about things, but my teammates help me to embrace some of the messier sides of life.
• Do you have any nicknames? Or if you could choose your own, what would it be and why? I think nicknames are best given by others. That being said, Sav is my favorite.
• What are your plans post grad? I am planning on going to graduate school and pursuing my Ph.D.
  
  
  Q&A with Dr. Bouzarth:
• What was it like having Savannah in your class? Savannah is a quiet force in class, but it’s obvious that she’s soaking everything up and will bring focus and dedication to whatever task is requiring it.  She is incredibly talented at both athletics and academics.  She has a challenging double major (Applied Mathematics and Chemistry) and is constantly running and training for something between the cross country and track and field seasons.  I’m often amazed at how well she can juggle these demanding things and do them all well, focusing on each one at exactly the moment it needs the most attention.
• What is your favorite sport or hobby? What do you like to do in your free time? I like a variety of sports.  I am a fan of watching college basketball, football, and tennis.  I was a collegiate tennis player back in the day and am now on a curling team.  Curling is my most reliable hobby these days, besides spending time with my young children and family.
• How often are you able to watch your student-athletes compete? Not as much as I would like to.  With having small children, it’s tricky to watch my students compete because I’ve found competitions often conflict with naptime or bedtime.  However, I do follow many of my student-athletes’ teams on social media and keep an eye on the Furman news to keep track of how their events are going.
• What’s your favorite spot on campus? I like walking by the rose garden and the lake with a view of the Bell Tower.  My building is not near the lake, so it’s a treat when I get to have some fresh air when walking to lunch or to a meeting across campus and get to see different aspects of the beauty of our campus.
• What is your favorite thing about teaching? I love working with students and helping them learn.  I really value the time we get to spend together.  For many of my students, our work together in the classroom extends to getting to know them outside of class through advising, mentoring, research experiences, and study away opportunities.  I consider teaching a broad skill, so often when these multifaceted student-professor relationships form, the teaching becomes more like mentoring in many aspects of helping students find their strengths and interests and decide what they want to do next.
• What would students be surprised to find out about you? Students are often surprised to learn that I am on a curling team (Yes, the ice sport with rocks, brooms, and crazy pants! And yes, even in South Carolina!).  
• What is one class your schools offers that you wish you could take? I would love to study abroad.  Two of my math colleagues are offering a new course during our school’s May term studying cryptography and code breaking during the world wars that uses Washington, D.C. and London and their classroom to explore connections between math and history.  A few years ago, I created a class with two other math colleagues studying math and science in Walt Disney World during the May term and it is an incredible experience to create and run that program as an educator.  However, I think it would be a fantastic learning experience to be a student in one of these classes, rather than the instructor to see a completely different perspective.

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.