Leading and exposing students to different cultures and once-in-a-lifetime experiences is one of Professor Carrie Hutchinson’s trademarks.

“I studied abroad as an undergraduate student and it truly shaped me as a person,” Communication Professor Hutchinson said. “Exposure to another culture is a different way of thinking and a different paradigm really opened my eyes to how big the world is and how different people can be. I think it’s a fundamental piece of not only understanding who you are as a person but understanding the world in general.

“So, I started designing programs and particularly programs that go to unique destinations.”

This summer, Hutchinson led the Intercultural and Interpersonal Communication study abroad program in Cape Town, South Africa and London. She also led students to Rwanda, Africa, for a service-learning program.

“This program was life-altering for the students and particularly for me,” she said. “It ended up being the reason why I adopted my two children.”

Hutchinson currently lives in Santa Barbara with her husband, two children that she adopted from Ghana, Africa and 16-year-old cat. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her kids, doing yoga and writing. Her favorite author is Philosopher Peter Singer. Professor Hutchinson also sings in a local rock band that performs covers from the 1980s, including songs by No Doubt and ACDC.

Before becoming a full-time Assistant Professor at City College, Hutchinson taught at several different community colleges including Fullerton and Cypress City College. She also worked at the California State University of Fullerton, UCSB and the University of Colorado, Denver.

“I was working on my doctorate and I wanted to get my feet at City College because I had decided that I wanted to be a teacher,” Hutchinson said. “I came over here, walked around and fell in love with the campus. The faculty seemed wonderful, and the students seemed happy.

“From that moment it was my goal to teach here. I feel very lucky that it actually panned out for me.”

Hutchinson is the course director for the Interpersonal Communication class as well as the course director and only instructor for the Business and Professional Communication class. She is also the author of two textbooks in her areas of expertise. One of which is used by City College as the interpersonal communication textbook.

“Professor Hutchinson is a ‘professional colleague’ in the truest spirit of the phrase,” said Darin Garard, communications department chair. “I feel fortunate to have her on my team.”

Hutchinson obtained her M.A. from California State University, Fullerton with an emphasis in interpersonal communication. She moved to Santa Barbara and received her Ph.D. from UCSB with an accent on Interpersonal and Intergroup Communication in 2004.

“When I was working on my doctorate at UCSB I was trying to be a researcher,” Hutchinson said. “The research didn’t get me fired up but the teaching did.

“Every day I was happy to get into the classrooms. It was obvious to me that teaching was the route that I should go.”

The next study abroad trip through City College is for Summer 2014. There will be a trip for Art History traveling to Paris, France. A film production and communication trip to Berlin, Prague and Amsterdam and a marketing trip to London. More information for these trips can be found on the Study Abroad website for City College.