He grew up in Ecuador and Colombia. He teaches language and culture classes. He coaches tennis and even takes classes as a student from time to time. Dr. Javier Pabón might be one of the most interesting faculty at Methodist University.
He grew up in Ecuador and Colombia. He teaches language and culture classes. He coaches tennis and even takes classes as a student from time to time. Dr. Javier Pabón might be one of the most interesting faculty at Methodist University.
Pabón has donned many hats since arriving to MU in 2018, but he is now known as the head of the Humanities Division and associate professor of Modern Languages. While his main areas of research are Spanish language, literature and culture, Pabón instructs other areas of study, including film, Latin American history, interdisciplinary studies for the MU Journey and even French occasionally.
While Pabón is proud of his knowledge and education – which includes a bachelor’s degree in Communications from La Sabana University in Colombia, a master’s degree in Liberal Studies from Duke University and a doctoral degree from Simón Bolivar Andean University in Ecuador – he receives no greater joy than the opportunity he has to collaborate with students in the classroom.
“There’s a cliché that says the students teach you as much as you teach them, and it’s true,” Pabón said. “A lot of the times we all come from different worlds so the students challenge me to seek effective ways to communicate with them. Education is an active process and it’s not about me only transmitting knowledge to them. It’s a joint effort to think, learn and do things together.”
Pabón is quick to credit the successes of his former and current students – pointing to their many next steps including becoming translators, continuing careers in the U.S. Army and earning their graduate degrees.
There may be no greater example of Pabón’s passion for teaching than his willingness to assist an MU student who did not major or minor in Spanish but had a passion for learning the language. When Pabón learned her plan to join the Peace Corps in Guatemala after graduation was derailed due to COVID-19, he stepped in to help.
“She was very frustrated, so I helped her think through her Plan B. She decided to apply for a master’s degree in Latin American Studies at the University of Florida, so I sponsored and put together a recommendation for her,” he said. “Now, she’s a master’s graduate. That’s the sort of thing that you enjoy sharing with a student – a love for learning.”
Pabón’s achievements extend outside of the classroom. Recently, he authored and published his own book, “A Tres Voces,” exploring contemporary symbolic representations of Afro- Ecuadorians in poetry, oral tradition and media discourse. When time allows, he also partakes in a combination of filmmaking and theater performances for social justice projects.
However, one of Pabón’s most fiery passions comes from his love for tennis. He grew up playing on the clay courts in Quito, Ecuador and Bogotá, Colombia. He played and coached at Academia Internacional de Quito, where he was able to hit with several future professional tennis players. He even competed for his college men’s tennis team.
When he joined Methodist University in 2018, Pabón was quick to reach out to Head Women’s Tennis Coach John Blackburn to find out how he could help. Soon enough, Pabón earned the title of “assistant women’s tennis coach” – now spending as many as 10 hours per week helping students with individual workouts that focus on specific skills and strategies.
“It allows me to interact with students at a different level,” he added. “Many of them see me in the classroom, but the tennis courts are a much different environment. I’ve found coaching is the same as teaching, you’re just using a different set of skills.”
Pabón also occasionally takes classes as a student from the University’s Professional Tennis Management program.
On top of it all, Pabón loves spending time with his wife and 5-year-old son (Anna and Ezra). Although his plate is undoubtedly full, Pabón would not have it any other way.
“My wife would tell you I’m crazy, but this is how I grew up in Ecuador and Colombia. You had to be fast-paced and moving all the time,” he said. “Maybe one day I’ll focus on only a few things, but for now, I truly enjoy spending my time with many things.”
This story was published in the Spring 2023 edition of “MU Today Magazine”. The magazine is available digitally on the MU website.