Adam Barrows
English professor Adam Barrows took a roundabout route to teaching. After earning a bachelor of science, he took a three year break from academia, moving between states working odd jobs.
But his lifelong love of words eventually led him to a career at Carleton University and, in 2012, Barrows’ love and passion for both literature and teaching came to fruition. He won the New Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, given to those who underpin Carleton’s commitment to excellence in teaching and innovation, as well as a Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences’ Teaching Achievement Award.
Adam makes sure to learn every single student’s name in his sometimes 70-plus seminars. It’s important, he says, that students know he cares that each person is present. His students’ accolades are often some of the highest in the department, as Adam is lauded as a professor who makes connections with his students, regardless of class size.