Italian and French Studies, St. Jerome's University
Dr. Kerry Lappin-Fortin, a specialist in French phonetics and sociolinguistics, has been a dedicated and outstanding teacher both at the University of Waterloo and at St. Jerome’s University since 1997. Since that time professor Kerry Lappin-Fortin has had a constant, uninterrupted record of sheer excellence in the classroom. Students in the various courses she has taught over these years consistently view her as a passionate, caring teacher who goes well beyond the call of her duty to make their learning experience as fulfilling as possible. Adjectives such as “enthusiastic,” “dedicated,” “passionate,” “best,” and “super” are in fact the ones most widely used by her students when they describe the inspired learning they received as professor Lappin-Fortin guided them through the wondrous landscape of French language and culture. It is also not uncommon to find comments that rate her as “the best professor I’ve ever had at Waterloo.” While skillfully instilling in her students an appreciation for the inherent beauty of the subjunctive, professor Lappin-Fortin at the same time clearly touches them in an enduring manner, a manner that shows the impact excellent teaching can have on our students’ lives. A consummate teacher, endowed with great pedagogical skills and imagination, she is fully deserving of the innumerable accolades she has received over the years from both students and colleagues.