Dyana Kimball’s passion for the theater and the performing arts is being celebrated by her students at Montgomery County Community College.

金博, 剧院 Regular Lecturer, was named the recipient of the Montgomery County Community College 兼职 教学卓越 Award sponsored by e-Campus Bookstore. She shares the award with Exercise Science and Wellness Senior Lecturer Dr. 玛丽莲“小姐” 米勒.

Teaching excellence awards recognize part-time faculty whose teaching is intellectually stimulating, accessible for all students, and demonstrates a commitment to the well-being of students both inside and outside of the classroom.  

“It’s humbling,” said Kimball. “The most flattering thing about receiving the award is that it came from students. I am so blown away by that.”

When she received the phone call informing her that she’d received the award, she said she didn’t know much about it. When she contacted the dean of 自由研究 to find out more, she learned that students nominate faculty members.

“I started crying,” she said. “I just was so moved.”

A graduate of Boston and Columbia Universities, Kimball has directed and taught theater for nearly three decades across the country. She is the founder of the Boston Director’s Lab, for up-and-coming theater directors; has taught at Marymount Manhattan and Dowling colleges in New York and each summer teaches at Columbia’s Creating Original 剧院 program for high school students.

Kimball started teaching at MCCC in the fall of 2019 and said she loves being able to interact with students and watch them grow in their own love of the arts. 大多数 recently during rehearsals for the epic “Antigone” she marveled at her students’ creativity.

“It was an incredible experience,” she said. “Every time I do a show at Montco I am awed by the talent of the students. All of the shows are not only performed by students but designed and built by them. They are learning while going, making adjustments and solving problems. It’s really exciting to witness that again and again and again.”

She also gave special mention to 剧院 Assistant Professors Timothy Gallagher and 杰西卡Dalcanton.

“They have just been so instrumental in my work here at Montco,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kimball’s students have certainly given their fair share of praise for Kimball’s performance. During Commencement, Dr. Chae Sweet, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost, read from some of the nominations students 提交ted that led to Kimball receiving the award this year.

“She is a wonderful teacher, who creates a welcoming and positive environment for everyone in her classes,” Sweet read. “She’s always there for us and goes above and beyond to help students learn and grow comfortably without stress.”

金博尔被感动了.

“I hope it comes as a result of students really recognizing how much they are at the center of my thinking, teaching and work,” she said. “I strive to keep them at the center of things and make sure they know I care about them as human beings. 不只是 are you passing a class? 这也很重要. But first and foremost, who they are as human beings is always the thing that’s top of mind for me. I really do my best to meet them where they are and so hearing all of that at graduation was really moving and really took me aback.”