Major: English
Minors: Humanities and Middle East and South Asia Studies
Hometown: Essex Fells, N.J.

Teddy Aronson is the recipient of the Christman Award for Service, presented to the graduating senior who most exemplifies the University’s Pro Humanitate motto. During his four years at Wake Forest, he worked with Project Pumpkin, was the community issues chair for Volunteer Service Corps, and was an active member of Campus Kitchen. Aronson has accepted a position as a high school English teacher with Teach for America in Las Vegas, Nev. After his two year commitment, he plans to enroll in a graduate program focusing on Islamic or international studies.

What inspires you to take on community service?

Aside from academics, volunteering was my main focus at Wake Forest. From the beginning, I felt that any school with “Pro Humanitate” at the heart of its mission was a place where I would like to be. Volunteering, for me, is an essential component of my education, and I truly cannot believe how much more I have learned because of my time in service. For instance, I never realized how much preparation goes into making sure others have outlets for service until I assumed some of my later executive roles. I’ve also developed a greater awareness of the different obstacles that can stand in the way of making great events happen, and these lessons will certainly be a part of whatever I do. Through my experience with the Volunteer Service Corps, Campus Kitchen, Project Pumpkin and the Wake Alternative Break trips, such as the New Orleans service trip I joined  in 2008, I have been proud to serve on behalf of Wake Forest’s mission.

Tell us about your internship experience.

The summer after my sophomore year, I served as an intern for El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services through the University’s nonprofit internship program. I worked as a community program coordinator, a position that encompasses the full scope of volunteer work with that organization. By the end of the summer, I realized that I had, in a way, become assimilated into this Latino culture. No longer was I an outsider seeking acceptance from within; instead, I had become a contributor to this communal ethos—where people struggle to adapt to a new life in the United States yet remain determined and strong in their belief that it will also be a better one. I cherish my experience with El Buen Pastor, and I will miss that whole community dearly when I leave Winston-Salem after graduation.

Did you study abroad?

I spent the fall semester of my junior year in Amman, Jordan, where I studied the language and culture of the Middle East. I focused most of my efforts on learning the Arabic language, but I was very fortunate to have been in the midst of such a culturally-rich area of the world. From the cuisine to the religious practices to the structure of higher education, my time in Jordan and the Middle East influenced how I view and understand my own culture.

Tell us something surprising about yourself.

In high school I served as a volunteer fire fighter, and I plan on getting my full certification within the near future.

What have you enjoyed about studying English and the humanities?

The experience has significantly influenced how I have come to terms with my personal education. Through these two avenues, I’ve discovered a sense of independence in my studies that allows me to pursue my own interests. I greatly appreciate all of the guidance and support my professors have provided me with over the years, but what I appreciate more is their willingness to let me tackle certain things on my own. In these ways I feel I have learned so much, and I wish I had a little more time left to finish everything I started.

Favorite class outside of your major?

I’m a self-proclaimed caveman when it comes to technology—that is to say, I prefer the ways of the past to the impersonality of some of our interactions today—but an introductory computer course with professor Brian Kell really mixed things up for me in the best way. I’ve never learned more practical and innovative ways to influence daily life than I did in this class, such as the development of cloud computing and our considerable use of it today, and I guess it really made me reflect upon what I had been doing in the past and what we will all be doing in the future. I still prefer my cave, but professor Kell showed me how and why everything outside will never look the same.

What will you miss the most about being at Wake Forest?

I will most miss listening to Chaplain Auman’s invocations, finding a clutch study room in Carswell, and, of course, all of the special times at 1101 Polo Road. Thank you all.

— Office of Communications and External Relations
Published May 10, 2011