Teaching Academy - Introductions

Chapter 2 - Dr. Dakota Lee

I followed Phil over to the tan sedan and listened as he greeted the man with the dark hair and glasses. "Dr. Lee, I'm so glad you made it here safely. Please allow me to introduce one of our new faculty members, Dr. Sang Sorenson. Sang, this is Dr. Dakota Lee."

He sets the box he was holding down on the ground before reaching out for my hand. His handshake is firm and his gaze is confident as he looks me over. Alpha male . "Dr. Sorenson, it is lovely to meet you and please call me Kota."

"Kota, the pleasure is all mine. Please call me Sang."

"As in I sang I song?"

"Yes, I know it's weird."

"No weirder than Kota." I give him a big grin and I'm rewarded with one in turn. I think Kota and I will get along just fine.

"Sang, Kota my apologies, but I have to pick up another new faculty member. I will see you both at dinner."

"Thank you again for the ride Phil. I'll see you later tonight." Phil walked over to his car, pulled my bag from the trunk and an envelope from the back seat, and placed them next to me at the entrance of the dormitory. Please tell me there is an elevator.

When he left Kota turned to me. "Unfortunately, there isn't an elevator. I've been regretting my decision to bring all of my books for the last hour." I giggle at his exasperated expression and his face lights up with a broad grin.

"Well, I just have the one bag so after I lug it up the stairs I'd be more than happy to help you finish unloading."

"Sounds great. What floor are you on?"

"The third. Room 305."

"Me too. Room 307. We must be close by each other. I wonder if they stuck all of the new faculty with rooms on the top floor?" He muses almost to himself.

"Most likely. They have to haze us somehow."

"Well, let's get a move on."

Kota was correct, his room was right by mine; it was in fact next door. Much like in a college dorm our names were on the outside. These tags were much more professional than those in undergrad. We had our names in ornate script with the subject we teach below. We dropped off my bag in front of my door and went back down for the last load of Kota's belongings. He wasn't kidding about the books. I love to read, but hasn't he ever heard of an e-book?

Kota moved quickly to unlock his door and we began moving the rest of his boxes from the hallway to his room. Entering his space was eye opening. This is for one person? No wonder the hallways were so long; these rooms were huge! Each room had a small sitting area with a couch, arm chair, coffee table, and entertainment cabinet with a television. The sitting area was connected to a kitchenette. Nothing fancy, but would allow for a few small home cooked meals. There were two doors off of the sitting area; one which lead to a bathroom with a claw foot tub and the other which lead to the bedroom. The bedroom held a queen size bed with some nice, but not overly nice, linens, a door to what I could only assume was a closet, an end table, and a small desk with a new laptop and phone on top. Did we all get those? Kota's room was painted in a hunter green with white trim. I noticed that it matched the polo shirt that he was wearing.

Kota set the box he was carrying down on the bed and motioned for me to do the same. "I'm going to go grab another box from the hallway while you start to unpack your belongings." I walked back out and picked up another box. Well, I guess I won't need to go to the gym today. Before going back in I took a good look at the placard outside of Kota's room. "Dr. Dakota Lee, PhD – Mathematics, Chemistry" Double PhD in natural science subjects – Dr. Lee is super smart.

Within 20 minutes Kota and I have the rest of his boxes moved into his apartment and I was digging through the envelope Dr. Roberts left for me to find my key. Once I had it in hand I went back out to the hallway to bring my suitcase in. Entering my room I was thrilled to find that I also had the same set-up as Kota. So everyone gets this. Wow. Going over to the bedroom I left – ok, so more of a heave – my suitcase up on the bed and begin to unpack. After about an hour, I've got my clothes put away and my computer set-up per the instructions in my envelope. Kota had stopped by a few times to see how I was getting along and to make sure that I didn't need any helping moving any of the furniture. While I was perfectly capable of moving it myself I finally caved and let Kota move the arm chair to the other side of the sitting room. After that I went back to Kota's room and kept him company while he finished unpacking.

"So Sang, I noticed your name plate said that you were a DO and a PhD. What is your PhD in?"

"I have one in epidemiology and another in public health and policy."

"Wow, what in the world did you want to do with all of those degrees?" Honestly? Anything that would get me away from my family in Illinois.

Kota narrows his eyes at me almost as if he can read my thoughts, but I give him the standard back-up answer. "I wanted to work with children from abusive and broken homes. I studied anything that I thought would help with that. It certainly helped that I graduated from high school at 12."

"Ah, that explains it. You didn't look like you were much over 30, so I guessed that you had to be one of those child geniuses."

"Genius isn't really accurate, just really driven to make something of myself as quickly as possible."

"I know that feeling. I was so happy when this opportunity opened up, I wasn't having much success with earning tenure and in DC politics plays into everything. I just wanted to study science and advanced mathematics and all the university cared about was what side of the political spectrum you were on. But this is the best of both worlds, I get to teach and instill a love of math and science to a new generation and work with a lab in the area on my research. It's perfect."

"I know what you mean. I get to teach human biology, epidemiology, and I still get to practice medicine. Dr. Roberts even mentioned that he may use my public health background for policy changes at the hospital. Plus I get to work with kids who were like me." I look down as I say that last statement, not wanting to see his pity. When I finally get the courage to look at his eyes, all I see is understanding and compassion.

"I know what you mean. It's nice to save a few kids before they get to where I was in life." I look to question Kota further when there is a knock at the door. When Kota answers it a tall man with Native American features and long black hair is standing in the door way.

"Oh good, you're both here."

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A/N: Meeting Axel is next.