CORNING, N.Y. (WETM) – David Pindel teaches several biology courses at SUNY Corning Community College. His students say not only does he care about their academic success. He also cares about their well-being.

“I think that’s one of the big assets of SUNY Corning Community College. We have professors here, not just myself, but most of us who want to be in the classroom,” said David Pindel. “I try to do a lot of hands-on learning, smaller class sizes, and just really focusing on applications that they can take whenever it would be in a career somewhere or transfer,” Pindel continued.

He started teaching as a graduate student. Pindel honors his mother and mentors for his passion for teaching.

“It was really my mom who instilled a love of learning in me from a very young age and then I had mentors along the way. When I got here, there’s a now retired professor named Tom McGrath, who was a really good mentor for me,” said Pindel.

He continues to make extra time for all his students and does everything he can to see them succeed.

“Our students come from a lot of different backgrounds. They have alot of challenges, family challenges, and some of them are working full-time jobs and trying to go to school,” he continues. “Some measure of flexibility and understanding, even that sense of empathy. I think can go a long way in a student’s mind.”