PhD students in Political Science
As the Political Science Department’s Teaching Assistant (TA) mentors, Rachel Tan and Lisa de Sousa Dias bring incredible passion and dedication to the work of teaching. Between them, they have taught an estimated 700 students, mentored dozens of Political Science TAs, and built a powerful and lasting friendship.
“Before graduate school, a professor and mentor once told me that it would be my peers who would shape my experience most profoundly, and that has stayed with me,” Rachel said. “In Lisa, I’ve found not only a close friend, but also a collaborator and mentor—someone who has helped me become the most authentic version of myself as an educator and scholar.”
Together, Lisa and Rachel designed and facilitated a new, two-day intensive training for Political Science TAs, teaching 24 participants for the 2025-26 academic year. They drew on what they’ve learned from the Delta Program’s Certificate in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, the Discussion Project, and from their own experiences as undergraduates on liberal arts campuses.
“In many ways, it was our shared values around teaching that formed the initial foundation for our friendship, something I hold very dear,” Lisa said. “Teaching and training in community with people like Rachel has been one of the very best parts of this work. Having someone to turn to when a class doesn’t go as planned, when navigating challenging dynamics, or to share the quiet teaching wins makes all the difference.”
Rachel and Lisa have a shared pedagogy that guides them, grounded in students’ agency and growth.
“What keeps us dedicated is when we see them recognizing that they have something to teach each other,” Rachel explained. “We design classes that help students place their energy in co-creating a classroom space for all of us to channel our collective ingenuity into learning from each other. Instead of channeling their energy into chasing after grades through simply the ‘mastery of content’, our course structure and assignments often reward humility, growth in critical political thinking and writing, relationality (work with peers), and enthusiasm in taking creative risks in their own academic journeys.”
Both Rachel and Lisa said their passion for teaching stems from the guidance they received from phenomenal mentors during their own undergraduate years. Watching students grow and engage in the classroom is another big motivation.
“I love getting to witness students see themselves in more expansive ways and I’m continually moved by the thoughtfulness and care they bring to one another and to our conversations about the political world,” Lisa said. “Their engagement continually inspires me to show up for them in ways that reflect and honor that same commitment.”
Their dedication to teaching hasn’t gone unnoticed. Lisa received an Advanced Achievement in Teaching award in the Campus-Wide TA Awards in 2024-25, and Rachel is among this year’s recipients of the same honor.
As they’ve taught and mentored others, they’ve also helped one another learn, too.
“Working with Lisa has taught me to trust my instincts and preparation as an educator, and to recognize that I approach teaching with students’ best interests at heart,” Rachel said.