Dr. Daniel Nappo, assistant professor of Spanish, and Dr. Chara Van Horn, assistant professor of Communications, hit it off the night they first met.
The two met while celebrating a mutual friend’s birthday.
“Our first conversation occurred on Dec. 3, 2010. We had both gone to [the Opera House] for a friend’s birthday,” Van Horn said.
Van Horn says she remembers the day clearly because she had been consumed with her dissertation and was finally able to relax after turning her final draft in only three days prior to their first conversation.
“It’s strange because she started [working at UTM] in 2007, and I had been working here since 2003, but we hardly ever crossed paths … even though we are in the same college,” Nappo said.
Nappo was born in Bay City, Mich., and was raised in Michigan for most of his life. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English, a Master of Arts in Comparative Literature and a Ph.D. in Spanish from Michigan State University.
“I came to Martin, because I was offered the job. I interviewed a few other places but they didn’t pan out. So, I came here,” Nappo said.
Van Horn is an Assistant Professor of Communications. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Radio, TV, Film and Speech and her Master of Arts in Communication from West Texas A&M and received her Ph.D. in Public Communication from Georgia State University.
“I was a grad student when I was hired. I was still working on my dissertation. So, I was hired ABD [all but dissertation]. I went through the whole process of finishing my dissertation. Oddly enough, I met him three days after and the rest is history,” Van Horn said.
Though Van Horn was born in Iowa, she has lived in multiple places throughout the U.S. She first moved to Ohio, then to Illinois, then back to Iowa and then to New Mexico – all before she turned 18. After she turned 18, she moved to three different places in Texas, then moved to Atlanta and now lives in Tennessee. Iowa is her home state and most of her childhood was spent there.
The couple have much in common. The two both love teaching and are very involved with students on campus.
“I serve as an adviser to the Spanish club, Sigma Delta Pi, which is the Spanish honor society, and I coordinate the study abroad for all the Spanish majors,” Nappo said.
Van Horn serves as adviser to the UTM College Democrats and helps with organizations like Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature.
“Though I am not an adviser for TISL, I give advice. I hold little sessions for them on argumentation and logical fallacies. I’m kind of one of those people who likes being involved with students. I like being surrounded by students and being involved in what they are doing,” Van Horn said.
The pair has their love for students very much in common. Outside of the classroom, the couple enjoys traveling.
“I have to say that my favorite thing [while at UTM] has been going to London and Paris as part of the travel study with the Department of Communications in the spring of 2011. I enjoy teaching Argumentation and Debate and creating courses; I have had a lot of fun with students. But, my favorite has been going to London and Paris,” Van Horn said.
Nappo says his favorite thing while at UTM has been sending students to Spain. He enjoys watching their knowledge of the language grow.
“I would say my favorite thing is also related to travel, taking students to Spain three different times and taking them to Mexico three different times. Sending students to Spain every summer has been gratifying. It’s nice to see them come back and speak Spanish much more proficiently and they have a broader horizon. That has been the most satisfying thing for me,” Nappo said.
The couple says their favorite vacation they’ve taken together was their trip to Spain in 2012. They spent two weeks traveling the country.
“We went to Madrid and Barcelona. Undoubtedly, going to Spain together has been our favorite trip,” Van Horn said.
Both Nappo and Van Horn have several things they enjoy outside of the classroom and traveling as well.
“I like to play guitar and listen to music. I like to read almost anything and I like to ride my road bike. The Pacer actually published an article about our cycling club, last year. I like classical music, classic rock, folk music, anything really. My number one thing is spending time with my son, Adrian. He’s not a hobby, but he’s my other full-time occupation,” Nappo said.
Van Horn says she enjoys similar things as Nappo, but in her own way.
“I listen to music, but not nearly as much as him. I read, but I like to read fiction. It helps me relax. I ride my bike occasionally with him. My thing about exercise is, I like exercise, but it has to be with another person. I like to walk with Kyoko Hammond; I like to walk with friends. I enjoy chatting with my friends. I know, that’s weird to think that I’m a Communications professor, and I like to talk with people,” Van Horn said.
Though they enjoy their hobbies a little differently, they do share a passion for the same sports team.
“On our first date, we were discussing football. I told him I liked the Minnesota Vikings and he nearly fell off his chair,” Van Horn said.
Nappo says that her comment took him by complete surprise. He says he didn’t suspect that she would say she liked the Vikings.
“It wasn’t because of all the drinks I had at the Opera House, I nearly fell out of my chair for surprise,” Nappo said.
The couple says they really enjoy working together at UTM. Nappo says he fully believes sharing a job like teaching allows them to have a better understanding for each other and what they experience on a daily basis.
“I think [working together] has a positive effect [on our marriage] because when I come home grumbling, she knows what is going on and understands the type of situations that exist and vice-versa too. When she comes home and she’s upset, I can say ‘I’ve seen this before too, I know how you feel.’ I think if you are a professor or you are in academia, the best thing you can do is marry someone who is also in academia, or marry someone who is completely out of it so that you don’t talk about it at all,” Nappo said.
Van Horn agreed and said that teaching presents its challenges that others may not fully understand.
“I think it is a hard profession for people who aren’t in it to understand, because so much of it involves thinking. When you are grading a paper, I think most people think you can just buzz through it, but it takes a lot longer,” Van Horn said.
The couple has been married since June 7 and look forward to many happy years together.
