Dr. Nicholas Bekas

Professor of English
Downtown Campus

I am Dr. Bekas and will be your professor. I have been teaching writing since 1994. I began my career at St. Petersburg Junior College, now called St. Pete College. In 1998, I began teaching at Valencia. Since 1998, I have also been an administrator, most recently as the Dean of Academic Affairs on the West Campus. Two years ago, I decided to return to teaching full-time and am now a Professor of English on the Downtown Campus. I consider myself a writer; I write every day. Writing is a habit, but I don’t expect all of you to want to be writers. I just expect that you will have to write throughout your life in many different forms and situations. I consider all of you writers now. You have had to write in the past, and, in some form, you write daily whether it be in a text, a tweet, a post, or an email. You all have experience with the written word and that is what we will build on. Writing is about thinking critically about our world. We write to clarify and build our ability to think. Thus, the underlying goal of learning to write is always to improve your critical thinking.
I am an avid reader. No surprise, I know. Haruki Murakami and Toni Morrison are two of my favorite authors. Reading is my way of discovering new worlds and brings me pleasure. And reading is an essential part of any writing course. Reading is important for anything we do, so this class is also about learning to read as well.
I also love music – all types. Some of my favorite groups and musicians are Nirvana, Radiohead, A Tribe Called Quest, Fiona Apple, Mazzy Star, The Wu Tang Clan, Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Tupac, Aarvo Paart and many others. I try to keep my mind open to new music and genres. I have two teenage daughters who help me stay current on the music scene. I love going to live shows at small venues. Nothing compares to being amongst other music lovers listening to good music played live.
One of my goals I set everyday is to remain curious. Curiosity is the key to learning, to discovering new things about yourself and the world. I hope that you will all remain curious and learn something new everyday.



Contact

Downtown Campus
DPAC - 340L
407-582-1449
nbekas@valenciacollege.edu

Hours

Monday/Tuesday: 8:30 am to 9:30 DPAC 340L.
Wednesday/Thursday/Friday: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm virtual via Zoom.