From a Trevecca alum to a Teaching Excellence Award recipient: Eleni Reid’s journey

By Michelle Loria Alvarado

Assistant News Editor

On March 6, Eleni Reid was announced as the Teaching Excellence Award recipient for the 2024-2025 school year.

“The recipient of this year’s award is an outstanding scholar and a dedicated teacher who is always looking for new ways to challenge and equip students,” said Tom Middendorf, university provost, during the Teaching Excellence Award chapel.

The Conference of Chairpersons, composed of academic deans and department chairs, has presented the Teaching Excellence Award each year since 1982.

This award recognizes excellence in classroom teaching. Faculty are eligible to receive this award by being full-time employees, and they have to teach at least one course each year. The award can only be given to someone once.

This year’s recipient was Eleni Reid, assistant professor of the English department, who’s also a Trevecca graduate.

“I don’t see it as a static achievement to be recognized for, but I see it as this goal to keep reaching for and I have to keep reminding myself that excellence is not the same thing as perfection,” said Reid. “This award isn’t recognizing perfection, it’s recognizing a hope in a way that we are all trying to be.”

Reid, daughter of Michael Karounos, an English professor at Trevecca, and former art professor, Elizabeth Karounos, knew from a young age that she wanted to go after a teaching career.

“I think I knew at some point in middle school, based on what I had seen in my life in the teachers that had been leading me along, that I wanted to do that kind of work,” said Reid.

She was certain that she wanted to teach, but teaching at a college level was something she did not want to do at first.

“I saw what my dad was doing teaching at the college level, writing a dissertation, working on a PhD and almost felt a sense of anti-inspiration from that and thought ‘Well, I want to be a teacher, but I definitely don’t want to do that because that looks so incredibly hard,” said Reid.

Ironically, her life took a turn during her time at Trevecca, where she was inspired to do the incredibly hard work her dad was doing when she was a child.

“It was actually in Dr. Philip’s world lit class. It’s 9 a.m. in my freshman fall semester. I sat in on her class and after a very short while realized I wanted to do exactly what she was doing,” said Reid.

Jooly Philip, chair of the English department, remembers her as an excellent student.

“I remember her being a very excellent student. Always participating in class, her papers were always excellent, and so on,” said Philip

Reid got her undergraduate degree at Trevecca in English Language and Literature. She then continued her education at Baylor University in Texas, where she pursued her PhD in American literature.

In 2018, she moved back to Tennessee with her family, due to the longing to be closer to family again. She applied for an adjunct position at Trevecca and finished her dissertation living in Tennessee. After she presented her dissertation, she started teaching as a full-time professor at Nashville State Community College for two years.

One of her colleagues from Baylor University was hired to teach at Trevecca, which lowered her hopes of returning to the institution as a professor.

In 2021, she found out her colleague had moved to a new institution and there was an opening for her.

“I took a leap of faith and applied here and got the job, and the rest is history,” said Reid.

Philip said that at an academic level, Reid has helped the department create new classes and coursework based on her area of expertise at Trevecca, but also adds warmth by creating programs that promote unity in the department and small events that bring all majors together.

Faculty describe her as more than a colleague, but a friend.

“I was struggling with some serious medical issues last year, and she cared for me not just as a colleague, but as a dear friend,” said Philip. “She took over some things that had to be taken over for the department because I was not able to do so, but for me, it was her constant checking in and her constant prayers for me.”

Reid also cares deeply for her students and always looks for ways to make them succeed.

“She cares for her students on a personal level. I see her meeting with students often and addressing individual concerns,” said Philip. “She wants to see her students succeed, and she is willing to put in the hard work.”

Autumn Brown, a senior English major, shared her classroom experience with Reid.

“She is personable, really down-to-earth, she can get to know her students, but she’s also passionate about what she teaches that she can get so excited, which makes it super engaging,” said Brown.

The Teaching Excellence Award was a milestone for her teaching career and an inspiration to continue her growth as a Christian educator.

“What makes her so deserving of the award, it’s not just that she’s a great teacher, but that she is a great Christian scholar,” said Philip. “I think she will continue to inspire students not only to grow academically but spiritually.”