Krisanna M. Scheiter is an associate professor of philosophy. Her area of expertise is ancient Greek and Roman philosophy with a focus on Plato and Aristotle, moral psychology and philosophy of emotion. She joined Union in 2012. Professor Scheiter lives in Schenectady with her partner, Ulysses, and their dog, Argos. When she is not poring over ancient texts you will find her in the kitchen cooking or baking. She loves to learn about different cultures through food. Her favorite things to cook right now are Szechuanese, Ethiopian and Indian. Her other hobbies include travel, cake decorating, scoping out all the amazing food festivals in the Capital District, and taking improv classes at MOPCO in downtown Schenectady.

FIRST APP YOU LOOK AT IN THE MORNING: I try to avoid technology first thing in the morning, but when I do get around to looking at my phone the first thing I check is email, then Facebook.

ONE BOOK YOU HAVE READ MULTIPLE TIMES: The Alchemist. I don’t think it’s a really well written book, but there is something about it that really spoke to me when I was younger. It’s like a parable for people who are trying to find their way. My roommates gave it to me for my birthday when I was studying abroad in Galway, Ireland as an undergrad. I must have read it 50 times throughout college and into graduate school. It still sits on my nightstand, but I haven’t read it since I started at Union. Maybe I’m finally where I am supposed to be!

BEST ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED: Just show up. No matter how you feel, no matter how insecure you are, no matter how tired or depressed, just show up. My college roommate gave me that advice when I started graduate school. There were not very many women in my MA program and I didn’t really feel welcomed or as if I belonged. And my BA wasn’t in philosophy so I didn’t feel like I knew what I was doing at all. My first instinct was to withdraw. But I didn’t. I showed up – to everything. Sometimes I just sat there and didn’t say anything. Sometimes it was a lesson in being comfortable with being uncomfortable. But sometimes, even when I showed up planning to just fade into the background, I felt moved to say something. If you don’t show up, it’s guaranteed that nothing will happen. But if you show up, you’re opening yourself up to all sorts of possibilities. I attribute a lot of my success to just showing up. It’s how I found my passion. It’s how I found my voice.

FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS: Jackson’s Garden

GO-TO BREAKFAST: Coffee. Sometimes cereal. But when I have time, nothing beats a homemade, fresh-out-of-the-oven croissant.

NETFLIX OR AMAZON: Netflix

FAVORITE PODCAST: 2 Dope Queens

ONE SKILL YOU WISH YOU HAD: Singing. I wish I could sing. I would have loved to be a jazz singer in the style of Ella Fitzgerald.

ANOTHER SUBJECT YOU WISH YOU COULD TEACH: English. I was an English major in college and I love stories. They help us make sense of the world around us and give meaning to what would otherwise be chaos.

BEST EXCUSE YOU EVER HEARD FOR A LATE ASSIGNMENT: I can’t think of a really good one. I can think of the worst excuse I ever heard: “I couldn’t finish the assignment because I was rushing all week last week.”