She begins her day when many of her students are just going to bed.
Rolling out of bed at 1 a.m. to begin her typical morning routine, Trisha Capansky, assistant professor of English and Modern Foreign Languages, starts each day with a quick cup of coffee, teeth brushing and a mad dash out the door to begin a two-hour bike ride on her beloved English cycle.
“I can’t imagine my life without a bike. Cycling is such a liberating experience. Moreover, you see your surroundings and nature from a different perspective when riding a bike. It’s such a beautiful experience,” Capansky said.
She rides 27 miles every day in all weather conditions, except when the temperature falls below 7 degrees, the roads are icy or when strong winds would prevent her finishing her ride within two hours. She continues to adhere to her regimented schedule throughout the day.
After her bike ride, she eats breakfast, takes a shower, catches up on the latest news and then heads out the door for work. She walks a mile to work most days and arrives at the office around 5:30 a.m., even though her office hours do not start until 7 a.m. She says the quiet early morning hours are best for getting lots of work done.
“I’m often ribbed about how insane my schedule is, but in my defense, I enjoy that time of day when even the birds aren’t awake. Even as a kid and teenager, I woke early and went to bed early; thus, never once did my mom have to yell at me for busting my 10 p.m. curfew,” Capansky said.
Because her parents divorced and her father was killed, she lived many places throughout her childhood but considers Eastern North Carolina home. She is Polish, and like many Jewish children she began learning Hebrew at an early age.
Unlike English, Hebrew is written from right to left. She learned both Hebrew and the English alphabet at age 4. She can not only write Hebrew right to left, but she can also write English right to left. She says it has always been quicker for her to write right to left when taking notes, especially during college.
Although she can read English when written this way, most people would have to hold the paper in front of a mirror to be able to read it.
Like many college students, Capansky began her college career straight out of high school, but when after a semester she still didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life, she quit. Deciding to take some time off to figure it out, she headed to England for six months to work for a family business. Six months turned into 4 years.
During this time she would work for six months and then take a week off to tour Europe. This enabled her to see all of Europe on a frequent basis. Once she figured out what she wanted to do with her life, she returned to the states to put her plan in motion.
“I wanted to go into my schooling knowing exactly what I wanted to do. It’s just the way I am. I’m not one to change my mind really,” Capansky said.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications from East Carolina University in 1998. She later returned to earn a master’s degree in Political Science from West Texas A&M University in 2003, a Certified Public Management certification from Texas Tech University in 2004 and her doctorate in Technical and Professional Communication from East Carolina University in 2011.
During college Capansky lived on a really tight budget. She carried her lunch with her and walked or rode her bike whenever possible. By living on such a tight budget, she was able to afford to go to some minor league baseball games and take a few trips down the coast each year.
“Probably the best trip was what I call my theme vacation, which is when I drove from North Carolina to New England touring places related to sailing. The trip ended in Bar Harbor, Maine, but my favorite place was Newport, RI, which is a city rich in nautical and maritime history,” Capansky said.
Because she grew up around water, Capansky has always had an interest in sailing. She even lived at a marina before moving to Martin. About 7 years ago her love of sailing really became a passion. During the last 4 years on her fall and spring breaks, she worked as a crew member on a sailboat.
She refers to herself as the Gilligan of the boat. She works the sails because she is more agile and faster than the rest of the crew.
“During Spring Break I helped bring back a boat from the Bahamas,” Capansky said.
Her sailing, 27-mile daily bike rides and her healthy-vegetarian lifestyle are all not only enjoyable, but essential in her training for her next big vacation. She is preparing herself to ride the entire Bordeaux Region of France. She plans to go from Winery to Winery, especially to the ones that were in existence during Thomas Jefferson’s time.
“That was his [Thomas Jefferson’s] favorite region of France. He is my favorite president. So, I thought if I could hit that region but see it all by bicycle, then it would be not quite the equivalent of the way Jefferson saw it. But my cycle is the same as his horse and buggy. So, it will be at the same pace,” Capansky said.
While at ECU, Capansky worked as a freelance reporter for area newspapers and participated in her local chapter of SPJ, the Society of Professional Journalists. She currently serves as co-adviser for UTM’s local chapter of SPJ, along with fellow co-adviser Tomi McCutchen Parrish, instructor of Communications and coordinator of the UTM Office of Student Publications.
“I am thrilled that Dr. Trisha Capansky joined me as a co-adviser for SPJ, our Society of Professional Journalists student chapter,” Parrish said. “Trisha brings us a wealth of experience as a business and technical writer. She believes in the fundamental values and best practices of journalism, she is a professional member of SPJ, and she has been instrumental in helping our students reinvigorate the SPJ student chapter. I can’t thank her enough for her help and support, and our example of cross-discipline advising is, I believe, a tremendous boom for all of our students,” Parrish said.
Capansky worked as a journalist for several years after graduating college, but later decided to take a job as a planner position for the City of Amarillo. While working as a planner, she earned her master’s degree and CPM certification. Although her career path no longer encompasses land-use plans, ordinances and working with developers, she continues to remain actively interested in urban planning issues and serves on the Martin Municipal-Regional Planning Commission.
Upon reaching the highest possible advancement level as a planner, she decided to return to college to earn her doctorate degree and begin teaching. This semester marks her second year of teaching at UTM. She currently teaches Technical Communications and an English Composition class. She is passionate about her students’ futures.
“I can tell when students are turning in assignments for a grade as opposed to students who are beginning to see themselves as entry-level professionals within their field. My goal for my students is this: Even if your career ends up being as a garbage collector, be the best darned garbage collector you can be,” Capansky said.
“I enjoy when my students get serious about preparing life after college, when they are meeting with me to discuss resumes, the job market and employment options. No longer are we meeting to discuss absences or late assignments; rather, we are discussing issues that will impact their future.”
Capansky is also interested in the formation of nations, not so much in wars involving territorial control, but in media’s role in contributing to secession and independence. She is particularly interested in South Sudan because the South Sudanese stand to move from an oral to a digital culture in only a few years as opposed to most Western cultures that have developed their communication systems during a period of centuries.
She recently published an article in the “International Journal of Technology, Knowledge, and Society” which looks at the extent of the impact that digital technologies will have on South Sudan, the world’s newest nation. She has also written a book chapter that was also accepted for publication. The chapter involves interviews with South Sudanese refugees who participated in a survey involving communication practices that she and a colleague put together. Additionally, she and her colleague have an article of similar scope going that is currently being peer reviewed for publication.
Interest in this subject is being widely accepted within the academic community. Last year her presented paper was accepted to an international conference held in Canada. She just recently returned from a conference held in Spain, where she presented a paper she had co-authored. She is currently conducting a follow-up study on South Sudan. She and her colleague are involved in some prep work for a study that will look at Uganda’s communication behaviors.
When time allows, Capansky thoroughly enjoys learning and trying new things.
“My dream du jour is to experiment with designing and building a house in accordance to the standards and qualifications of the Small Houses Movement, meaning homes that do not exceed 500 sq. ft. In a perfect world I would like to build to criteria that meet LEED certification,” Capansky said.
“I’m always interested in how little a person really requires to live comfortably. My studies involving developing countries have really made me aware of how materialistic we are as a society, and that we’re not any better off for it.”
Capansky offers this practical advice to all UTM students, staff and faculty.
“When you are having one of those days, where you are in the dumps for whatever reason, spend 30 minutes reading a world news report. You will then find that if you can look forward to filling your stomach at dinner that night and crawling into a bed, you are in a much better position than most of the rest of the world. You will be reminded how very lucky you are, and suddenly your issues are no longer as bad as they seemed.”
Capansky’s day begins early. She walks to work in the morning, teaches her morning classes, walks home for lunch and returns to work for afternoon meetings. At the end of her day, she walks back home, eats a light supper, brushes her teeth and crawls into bed by 6 p.m., when many college students are gearing up for a night out on the town.
To find out more about Capansky’s journalism career go to “The Life of a Journalist.” It includes information about some of the famous people she interviewed during her journalism career, including Baseball Hall of Famers and the compelling reason why she decided to hang up her reporter’s hat. Also included are examples of articles she wrote as a journalist.
Featured photo: Sheila Scott
