4 4 T H E T U S C A R O R A R E V I E W 2 0 2 3 Goss-Harris: What do you like to write? And what is your advice to writers telling personal stories? Dr. Dardello: I’m a storyteller, so I love personal narratives that inform us of lessons that we’ve learned in life or narratives that allow us to ask questions. Narratives that don’t have any easy answers, that complicate things, that looks at things from multiple perspectives and doesn’t assume it’s own voice is right. So I think that that is the advice that I would have for writers who want to share their stories— to tell the truth, just as I’ve done with you when you asked “What led you to become a community college educator.” It seems altruistic to say, “Oh, I wanted to help students.” No, I was poor, and I needed a job. That’s the truth. Goss-Harris: What would people be surprised to know about you? Dr. Dardello: You know, I come from the Deep South, born and raised in Mississippi. And I guess people will be surprised to know that I never mastered the art of frying chicken. Oh, no. I didn’t pass that southern girl test. I can air fry a good chicken wing, but I never, I never mastered that. But I can make a mean pound cake. Yeah, I like to bake. And I like to cook. But fried chicken was just one of the quintessential southern meals I never learned to master. Goss-Harris: If one song could play over a montage of your career, what would it be? Dr. Dardello: I grew up listening to gospel—you’re probably too young to remember André Crouch. He sang a song called Through it All. And oh, I’m trying not to get emotional thinking about it. But in the song, he says, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God, through it all I’ve learned to depend upon His Word. And that’s true for me. I’ve experienced quite a bit, but I always returned to my faith. That’s something that, as I mentioned before, my grandparents instilled in me. I returned to it again and again because it has not failed me. My faith in something that’s bigger than me has carried me through some very difficult and trying situations. So that would be the song.
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