Before the PhDs: Faculty at Our Age

A few years ago, professor Rosana Vivar met up with some of her old college friends, as they all gathered around to watch a friend’s documentary. The documentary was for a final project at their university and captured the goals and aspirations of all his peers, including Vivar. As she gathered around her friends, her head flooding with old memories of her youth, she stared in utter disbelief. On the screen was none other than 21-year-old Vivar saying she wanted a PhD and a job teaching at a university.

“Like, did I say that at 21,” Vivar wondered.

How fitting then that she was able to see her goals come true. Have you ever wondered who our professors are behind the desk? What lives they lived before becoming our professors and mentors? Before their PhDs, our professors were students, like us, living exciting lives and navigating their youthful 20s. Join SLU-Madrid in a retrospective profile of three faculty members in their 20s: philosophy professor Jawara Sanford, theology professor Philip Porter, and lastly, program director of Communication, Vivar. 

In 1992, Sanford began studying psychology at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, later switching to philosophy. Over the course of two years, (one right before and one after coming to Madrid), Sanford taught himself Spanish without ever taking any classes.

After university, he worked as a private English tutor before pursuing further education. As for fashion, Sanford rebelled away from pop culture trends, as they “felt too conformist.”

His style was heavily influenced by skateboarding punk culture and thrift, and he occasionally sported a black tie. In high school, he read philosophy/psychology by Eric Fromm and competitively raced bicycles. 

Playlist: The Smiths, U2, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel

Celebrity Crush: Molly Ringwald

Generational Slang: Toasted (to be beat/tired, originated in the cycling world)

Fashion Trends in the Early 90s in Spain: High-water Levi’s 501 jeans with floral motif patches

In 2005, Porter was studying political science at the University of California, Berkeley. Alongside his education, Porter was working as a barista. Throughout college, Porter remembers “continually going to class dressed like a guy from California: jeans, t-shirts, and flip-flops.” In the summer of his junior year,

Porter attended the Officer Candidate School, later commissioned as an officer in the Marines after graduating from university. America was at war, and enlisting seemed like the right thing to do. Later, he pursued higher education in a new interest: theology. Originally, Porter was an atheist, but he recounted a “boring story,” from 2012.

“I realized for the first time, maybe it’s all true,” Porter said. “That was the kind of thing that went through my head, and then immediately started studying theology.”  

Playlist: Led Zeppelin, Guns N’ Roses, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z

Celebrity Crush: Not Applicable.

Generational Slang: Going big (go big or go home)

Fashion Trends in the Early 2000s in America: Y2K, low-rise jeans, heavy makeup, blonde highlights for both men and women.

In 2005, Vivar was a junior, pursuing a degree in media studies at Universidad Carlos III, in Madrid. Outside university, she was a private tutor and attended major film festivals as a member of their youth juries.

“I love how students dress nowadays,” gushed Vivar. “They dress exactly the same as I used to dress when I was their age. I get flashbacks seeing them,” she continued.

Vivar’s go-to outfit for a night out on the town with her friends was a pair of flared jeans, a crop top, and big earrings. Her style was dynamic, but she preferred an alternative, underground vibe. Vivar’s graduation collided with a financial crisis in Madrid, leading to her pursuing a master’s degree in humanities and cultural analysis.

Jobs in the creative industry were fairly new at the time, but her heart had always gravitated towards teaching media. Watching herself in the documentary was like a message of hope, to herself and anyone working in the creative industry. 

Playlist: Weezer, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Pearl Jam. 

Celebrity Crush: Eddie Vedder (lead vocalist of Pearl Jam)

Generational Slang: Me piro vampiro (literal meaning: I’m off vampire, similar to see you later alligator)

Fashion Trends in the Early 2000s in Spain: Y2K, low-rise jeans, cargo pants, fur, steel jewellery, leather leggings.