Dr. George Banks & Darrell Christensen ’13

Darrell Christensen is glad he switched his major from accounting to management. “That was a blessing. Otherwise I wouldn’t have met Dr. Banks,” he said.

Christensen became friends with Dr. George Banks, assistant professor of management, when he took Banks’ business ethics class last fall. It was Banks’ first semester at Longwood, and he and Christensen hit it off. They often continued class conversations after class, and Christensen was a frequent visitor at Banks’ office.

Even though the two don’t have a class together this semester, the visits have continued, and Christensen sometimes brings along his girlfriend. One frequent topic is the Washington Redskins, the favorite football team for all three.

“We talk about anything and everything,” said Christensen ’13, from King George. “I’ve come to look at him as a mentor. I could come to him about anything, even if it’s not related to my schooling, and I know he would give me good advice.”

Banks calls Christensen “Dedicated Darrell”—the nickname Christensen gave himself when Banks, to help himself remember students’ names, asked each student for an alliterative adjective about themselves.

“Darrell represents what people told me about Longwood students when I came here—that they’re engaged and interested and care about their education, instead of just caring about a grade,” said Banks. “He is nice and hard-working—he really is dedicated.”

Due to a learning disability [short-term memory deficit, resulting from mild cerebral palsy], Christensen takes all of his exams at the Testing Center in the Office of Disability Resources. “That gives me extended test time and a quiet place to take a test,” said Christensen, who will graduate in December. “I’m 99 percent certain I will have this disability for the rest of my life. It just means I will have to work a little harder.”