It’s not an official indicator, but the best professors tend to be those who inspire repeat business, especially when the professors are junior faculty members teaching a lot of introductory courses.

“I frequently have intro-course students in my elective classes,” said Lucia Soriano, who has been part of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality and Ethnic Studies Departments since 2021. Even at a campus celebration of her first book this past spring, Soriano noted: “I was moved to see students who had been in my class two years earlier. Being able to reconnect with former students affirms my role as an educator and as an author. It affirms how lasting those classroom moments can be. One student told me that they felt seen by what I wrote about in my book.”

Like many of the students in her department and courses, Soriano found her academic passion in college. The California native attended community college and then became a women’s studies and ethnic studies major at California Polytechnic University, Pomona.

“I never had any interaction with STEM at Cal Poly, although I guess there were a lot of engineers in some classes,” Soriano admitted with a laugh. Nonetheless, she found a community of like-minded friends and caring faculty, an environment she has definitely recreated at Albion.

“I deeply appreciate the opportunity to teach electives like feminist theory and bodies in American culture,” she said. “In these small classes I can create a space for real connection, where we can dive into complex, often uncomfortable conversations with depth, honesty, and care.”

Soriano is also pleased to note a racial, ethnic, and gender diversity among her students, greater than her previous teaching experiences at Washington State University Pullman and in Germany. “Ethnic studies and women’s studies really started with students who wanted a curriculum that reflected diversity, and I am curious as to how I can continue on that legacy,” she said. “Even in my introductory courses, the smaller classes allow for more student interaction, and I’ve really come to appreciate that here.”

Despite being a scholar who examines the intersection of beauty ideals, pop culture, and social media, Soriano is a big fan of paper-based student projects. “I am very proud of the wall of protest signs that take up the majority of my office space,” she said. “These were part of a course assignment, and the students really surprised me with their creativity, especially when a lot of them began by claiming they are not creative. I find this wall keeps me energized.

She continued, “Even if students take only one of my courses to fill a requirement, I want them to develop the knowledge, perspectives, and critical thinking skills that come with studying these subjects. This is invaluable in enriching their daily lives, shaping their personal and professional futures, and driving meaningful social change in the world.”

Soriano was named Albion’s 2025 Phi Beta Kappa Scholar of the Year, in recognition of the publication of her first book, Embodying Normalcy: Women’s Work in Neoliberal Times, published in 2024.