“Education pushes you past your own understanding,” said Cheryl Law, the newest addition to the mass communication faculty at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Law teaches integrated communication, and not only is she qualified in the communications field, but her personality and perspective on teaching and the importance of education makes her a perfect fit for CSU-Pueblo.

A native of Pueblo, Law has reached her dream job of becoming a university professor through an enormous amount of hard work and practice.

Early on, she left Colorado to become an instructor at Tarrant College, a community college in Fort Worth, Texas. Tarrant College was home to many students who came from a background of poverty; some even came from prison looking to better their lives.

Law’s past experience with domestic violence encouraged her to begin a violence prevention program at the school. Many students took part and felt comfortable enough to confide in her and take her advice.

Although Law was a great asset for those students in Texas, she didn’t feel that it was the place she was called to be.  She taught at Tarrant for only four years, but in that time she learned a great deal and her experience ultimately led her to CSU-Pueblo.

“I’m in my dream job; I was born for this,” Law said.

“Relationships” is the first word that comes Law’s mind when asked about her teaching strategy.

“I teach how I was taught,” Law said.

She is all about class discussions, keeping the conversation going and hands on activities. Mass communication majors must be able to communicate well, and in order to do that, it’s important to feel comfortable enough to express opinions. Law makes this easy for her students.

“Everyone has a voice and an opinion, and I love to hear what students have to say,” Law said.

The CSU-Pueblo mass communications department has always been a very tight knit group, and Law said “it was quite simple to fit in and grow off what has already been paved for me.”

It didn’t take long for her to find her niche in the program, and that isn’t a surprise. Law has an ideal perspective on education and interpersonal relationships. She understands that everyone has a story and a different learning method. She tries to make all her students feel at home.

The first day of classes, Law explained her experience with domestic violence and stripped away the “professor only” stigma, making her a real person, someone the students could relate to.

Once a relationship is made between a student and a professor, learning the course material becomes more desirable, and that is what Law focuses on.

Law is quickly becoming more comfortable with the school and the student body, and she is excited to be a part of the success of the mass communication students. She is building off other professors’ behaviors and teaching tactics but putting her own spin on things.

She is excited to be here, and students will be able to benefit from her experience as she settles into her dream job here at CSU-Pueblo.