Get to Know HFC: Hollie Tugwell anchors the Learning Lab
Hollie Tugwell was two years into med school when she decided to make a complete change in her career goals.
“It just wasn’t in the cards," she said of med school. “I didn’t want to take out more student loans and pay them off for years to come. And I’ve always liked teaching. When I was a little girl, I used to pretend to be a teacher. I would gather up all my dolls in a make-believe classroom and teach them lessons about math and spelling,” she confessed with a laugh.
During her undergraduate days at Marygrove College in Detroit, she was a math tutor.
“That’s when I really fell in love with teaching,” she recalled. “I transitioned into tutoring with other departments and other organizations.”
Tugwell helped a teacher supervise a biology lab at Henry Ford High School, where the students were dissecting frogs.
“A student pranked me and hid a piece of frog inside my folder. I screamed,” she recalled, laughing. “Even though the kids gave me a hard time, I loved it. I really did.”
Serving as a bridge between advising and teaching in the Learning Lab
An only child and a lifelong Detroiter, Tugwell was educated in the Motor City. She is a graduate of Cass Technical High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Marygrove. Tugwell completed two years of medical school at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, where she also earned her master’s degree in basic medical sciences.
Tugwell has taught biology at the college level since 2014. She has taught at Wayne State, Oakland University, and the Wayne County Community College District (WC3D). She has been at HFC since 2016, teaching biology and related sciences.
In 2023, Tugwell assumed a new faculty position in HFC’s Learning Lab. Her duties include:
- Learning Lab programming and services
- Targeted interventions and outreach
- Individual academic coaching and organizing workshops
- Monitoring online resources
- Leading tutor training
“I serve as an additional resource to students,” explained Tugwell. “I’m teaching learning skills to students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classes: How to study for biology, math, nursing, and statistics. Coming from a faculty point of view really helps students learn to study and what we faculty members are expecting of them. We give them tips and share our experiences.”
She continued: “I enjoy working with students in this way, especially those who are caregivers and have families. We’re developing a rapport. They reach out to me and check in with me periodically to make sure they’re staying on track. We serve as a bridge between advising and teaching – how to plan classes and how to arrange study times. For students who get discouraged, we want to catch them before it gets to the point and they change majors or drop out of school.”
For Tugwell, the best part of teaching is when students have a “lightbulb moment” and understand a concept, or when they realize that they have an interest in a subject that they didn’t know about.
“They’ll say, ‘Professor Tugwell, I didn’t know I liked biology!’ I love when students discover their interest and intrigue, have questions, and think critically. What’s also fun is when they tell me about debunking scenes in forensic crime shows on TV,” she said, laughing.
Claybourne called Tugwell an asset to the Learning Lab.
“Hollie has distinguished herself in the Learning Lab,” he said. “She already has the distinction of having several students who have reached out to her for additional help after attending one of her workshops. Her experience as an instructor gives her insight on how to support students who may be struggling with academics.”
Being in the Learning Lab allows her to get to know the campus better
Tugwell’s new position in the Learning Lab has given her more exposure to HFC.
“I like the fact that there is shared governance here at HFC. I think it’s very commendable that the Adjunct Faculty Organization is part of the governance of the College,” she said. “I also have had the chance to explore the campus more. I love this campus. People have been very helpful and friendly. Now that I’m in the Learning Lab, I’m here more. I’m interacting more with faculty and staff and getting to know them better. I really enjoy being on campus more.”