Ardel Thomas

I am an Aries - a fire sign. I am born in the year of the Dragon - another fiery symbol. That means I have tons of energy and am very excited about life. I love to garden. I hate flying. I love good coffee. I think there is nothing finer than a soyrizo burrito at the taqueria Papalote on 24th and Valencia. I am a vegetarian often bordering on vegan.

I was originally a pre-med student at the University of Colorado, Boulder. But the mountain air, political activism during the 1980's, awesome coffee shops, and wonderful (many LGBT) professors helped me realize that I would prefer to major in Creative Writing and Women's Studies. People would often look at me and say, quite belligerently, "So, what are you gonna do? *TEACH*?!" Well, yes, actually, teaching is one of the biggest loves of my life.

During my undergraduate degree from 1983 to 1987 at CU Boulder, I supplemented my income by working for a home health care service in which I met and worked with several wonderful and differently abled clients ranging from folks with Multiple Sclerosis and Cerebral Palsy, people recovering from strokes, and quadriplegics. In the summers, I worked at a special populations day camp for children ages 5-18.

I wanted to stay in Boulder for my Master's Degree, and so, in 1990, I became a student in the English Department. During this time, many of my friends were running around trying to find classes they could be teaching assistants for. I was very lucky because I had a friend who told me about a very special program at CU Boulder in the University Learning Center (ULC). The ULC caters specifically to students on academic probation, returning students and multilingual students - for those of you who are football fans, I taught Kordell Stewart who was the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers for a few years and is now playing for the Baltimore Ravens. This was a pivotal job and learning experience for me because so many of my teaching ethics and ideas about access to education for ALL PEOPLE were fostered here.

For my Master's Degree, I wrote a thesis on Lesbian Language in Toni Morrison's Beloved. I was also encouraged by two of my professors to apply to Stanford University.

I got in to Stanford! where I earned my PhD from Stanford University in 1998. The program I came out of is called Modern Thought and Literature - it is an interdisciplinary program. My main area of study was 19th Century British Cultural Studies focusing on Empire and Sexuality. I also have a sub-specialty in Gothic Horror. Within all of this, though, I focused on multicultural issues and queer studies.

After my PhD, I was asked to stay on at Stanford in order to diirect the Community Service Writing Program in which I connected numerous classes every quarter with 200 non-profits throughout the Bay Area. My own courses I taught had a Feminist Studies and/or Queer Studies theme. I actually taught the first Queer Rhetoric course that Stanford offered.

I have published two articles on Queer Gothic Horror and have co-authored (with Carolyn Ross) a service-learning textbook.

In 2004, I decided to leave Stanford University because I wanted to teach in the community college setting. I got a tenure track job in Lexington, Kentucky. I had also lived in San Francisco (not Palo Alto) for 12 years! YIKES! CULTURE SHOCK!

Then, in January 2005, I found an ad for LGBT Studies at CCSF. City College of San Francisco?????? LGBT Studies???????? My dream job if only I could land it! Soooo..........

Here I am now in my second year - my first year as chair. I am having such a FABULOUS time teaching LGBT Studies and English 1A at CCSF!!!!!

I am a stepmother and an auntie.

My partner and I are hoping to adopt sometime in the next couple of years. We have a lovable Pug named Webster, (pictures may be posted soon), and a wonderful cat named Otto (who cordially declined to be interviwed).

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