Natalie Isberg, Special to The Denisonian–

It’s the little gifts that Dr. Laura Russell has learned to appreciate over the years, including the birthdays, her trips to frozen yogurt with her husband, or a simple bike ride. 

Teaching was one gift Russell wasn’t expecting to receive. 

A chemistry major at Wittenberg University, Russell initially had her eyes and path set on being pre-med. She wanted the gift of having everything figured out. 

Instead, a communication class she took as part of her GE package pulled her off her own beaten path and onto new beginnings. 

That class “blew my mind,” Russell said. 

“And I was reading things that I didn’t even need to read, and that’s when I [thought] I think you really like this. This is very interesting.” 

Russell declared her communication major and shifted her chemistry major to a minor. Teaching was not yet on her radar until after receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Dayton. At that point, Russell felt Denison called to her. 

“I read [the job description], and I can still feel the chills that I got when I read it,” Russell explained. “I was like… that’s who I am…that’s the person that I believe I am, and at least aspiring to be.” 

It’s been 14 years since she started teaching communications at Denison. She’s always been busy with class, grading papers, and teaching students. Those experiences she wouldn’t trade for anything. 

“I’ve received a lot from my students. I think that definitely I have received wisdom from them…and having a diverse group of people to connect with, but also just the sheer knowledge that they bring and the insights they bring from whatever they’ve learned, as well as their lived experiences,” Russell said. “And they have been very affirming of me, too. Even just their desire to come into my office and sit down and talk…the giving of their time and the giving of their trust has been something that I don’t take for granted and really treasure with them.”

For Russell, life has brought gifts. 

And it has also brought its share of difficulties. 

Russell started experiencing symptoms of a serious illness in 2015. The doctors gave her diagnoses: autoimmune disease, MCAS and Lyme disease, but they were unable to land on a cause. She lost her ability to run and suffered from a host of other ailments. 

“I was scared because I had symptoms that were very alarming, and I didn’t know any day that I woke up what was going to happen,” Russell said. “Was I going to be numb all over? Was it going to have a raging headache? Was I going to have tremors? Was I going to react to food, get a rash? Things just happened.” 

In her toughest moments, Russell came back to community. She found a church that made her feel welcome. She would later meet her husband at that same place. The love she found there kept her grounded. 

“It gave me another reason—another purpose—to live,” Russell explained. “At the same time I was at my worst, the best thing happened.” 

Russell deals with the new and unexpected everyday. Last year, she and her husband adopted a baby girl, Serenity. At the end of October, she will be 17 months old. 

“It’s been a dramatic transformation,” Russell said. 

At 43, her new role as a parent has taught her a lot about kids, about parenting, and about her own life. 

“No one sees [the change] necessarily on the outside, other than when I do come with yogurt in my hair, and I’m not all put together most of the time, because I’m still learning to deal with the chaos…But I don’t think I knew fully what it meant to be an adult until I became a parent, and then really started to learn that more,” Russell said. 

Russell has some joys she’s anticipating now and for years to come, from her newfound motherhood to spending time with her family and watching soccer- the small things in life. 

“I can’t imagine now going through life without having this,” Russell said. “It’s beautiful, and there are not even words for it. Now I see these shades of love like I see shades of color, and it’s beautiful, and I never anticipated it.”

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