by Shaniah Taylor

On Tuesday, March 25 2025, Professor Hasije Harris –Greensboro College’s professor of accounting– gave a ProfTalk titled “Life and Hope: Don’t let a C stand in your way.” ProfTalks are events organized by the Student Honors Organization (SHO) as a way to educate students on a certain topic. At this ProfTalk– Harris educated students on the importance of perseverance and hope.

Harris opened the talk with a slide dedicated to the painting Hope by George Frederic Watts. The painting shows a blindfolded woman sitting alone, holding a lyre with only a single frayed string left. Despite her isolation and the lyre’s condition, she leans in closely, holding out hope that she will hear beautiful music playing again.

Harris compared the imagery in Watts’ painting to life itself. No matter how bad life seems, it is important to hold out hope. Hope reminds us that we can still be set on our proper path– even if it feels like we are down to our last frayed string.

The message shared in Harris’ talk was deeply rooted in her own journey. First, she recounted her childhood as a young immigrant, forced into an arranged marriage. She was determined to build her own path and attend college, so she worked hard to finish school six months early and saved enough money to run away. She was estranged from her family for nearly two years, but she never faltered, doing what she could to follow her path. She enrolled at High Point University, found housing and built her life up, proving to her family she would made the right choice.

However, her struggles did not end there. Throughout career she experienced workplace discrimination. She recounts the time a hiring manager had not met her in person and hired her assuming she was a man. She had many people try to convince her to leave her high paying position. Yet, instead of backing down, Harris persevered once more until it was clear she earned her spot in that company. She proved her worth through her relentlessness and her unshaken hope.

Lastly, in this talk she mentions that her grandmother had told Harris she had a look in her eye– as if she had her whole life planned out, and she was on a mission to follow that path. With this talk Harris spread that message to all of us. Do not let a “C” –or any setback– stray you from your path. You are the architect of your future, and YOU decide how it is going to go. Keep striving for greatness and hope can be the key to overcoming your greatest obstacles.

If you are interested in more talks like this, the next ProfTalk hosted by SHO will be on April 15, 2025, called “Antonio Vivaldi’s Spring concerto from the Four Seasons– Imagery in Music” presented by Professor Jon Brotherton. Stop by the main center at 12:15 to attend, lunch will be provided.