Lifelong academic

Michelle Hughes said she has been interested in science and life before kindergarten. Hughes wanted to be a veterinarian for years and then wanted to become a doctor. She said her love for helping, fixing and learning about life processes inspired her to become a scientist. When other kids were playing video games Hughes was outside digging up worms from the dirt and examining frogs and insects. Hughes said she was the weird science child and describes herself as a mad scientist. Hughes has science degrees from Clovis Community College and Eastern New Mexico University and will receive her master's degree in biology from ENMU in May 2013.

Benna Sayyed: CNJ staff photo

Clovis Community College science professor Michelle Hughes, left, helps microbiology lab student Erika Tovar, right, characterize unknown bacteria at CCC.

What inspired you to become a college science professor? It was kind of a long road. Initially I was going to college to attend medical school and be a doctor. I guess my teaching career just kind of happened. I started teaching part time for extra money and really enjoyed teaching. I was interested in neuroscience to start with and my advisor left so I had to switch my degree plan from neuroscience to forensic entomology. That changed my perspective on things a little bit. I decided to get my master's degree in education as well as forensic entomology. The part-time teaching fell into full-time and it progressed.

What do you do in your free time? I work here at CCC and I also work as a graduate assistant at Eastern and I'm a student so I don't have much free time. In my free time I read books and do homework (laughing). Reading for pleasure for me is like Grey's Anatomy or literature about new developments or innovative techniques in science. I'm not off often but Iike to travel. I really like seeing the shows in Vegas. I've seen the opera like five times. I like going to the beach at South Padre Island. I usually take my mom with me so it's pretty fun. I usually drive. I like to drive.

Courtesy photo

Michelle Hughes receives her Clovis High School diploma in May 1998.

What is something that most people don't know about you? I'm a blabber mouth so I think everyone knows everything about me. I would say I have a very strong passion for neuroscience and anything to do with the brain.

What are your goals in life? I want to get my Ph.D. in biology. That's my number one goal. I want to become a better instructor and incorporate more great things here at CCC. I want to continue my education for ever and ever (laughing). I've really thought about going to a large university where I can have my own research lab but I really enjoy teaching at this level because they're non-traditional students. I am a non-traditional student.

Courtesy photoMichelle Hughes at age 4.

What was the best day of your life? When I graduated with my double bachelor's in 2009 I was taking 11 classes, so that was like 30 something credits. I was taking classes at Eastern and CCC. On my 28th birthday I had ten finals between Eastern and CCC I had to take. I had a 4.0 that semester so I made all A's (laughing). That was probably the happiest day, not that it was my birthday but because I passed all of my exams. They were like in physics, calculus and hard stuff like that. My first final was at 8 a.m. and the last final lasted till like 9:30 at night. My mom took me to get a burrito for my birthday dinner on the way to a final (laughing).

Did you ever get into trouble as a child for doing a homemade science experiment? I would get into trouble all the time. I would always make people do things to see what would happen to them because I was too afraid. I would make my cousin eat worms. My mother would say "these berries are poisonous, don't ever eat them." My brother and I really wanted to eat them. We told my cousin "Hey, eat these berries, they're really good." He ate them and didn't die so we ate them. I would get into trouble for doing stuff like that all the time and blame it on my brother.

— Compiled by CMI staff writer Benna Sayyed

Bio

• Name: Michelle Hughes

• Age: 32

• Hometown: Clovis

• Occupation: Clovis Community College science instructor