Faculty in Focus: An Interview with Stella Bagot

In March 2007, a small group of part-time professors, concerned about the low wages and lack of benefits at Montgomery College, began to hold meetings. A demure, soft spoken teacher consistently attended those early discussions, which continued for over a year. She seldom spoke, but when she did, people listened. And when it came time to take action, Stella Bagot did not hesitate to join SEIU Local 500. She played a vital role throughout the union organizing campaign and election victory. Today she is part of the bargaining team negotiating our first union contract with the college.

Born and raised in Guyana, South America, Stella came to the United States in 1990 to attend college, and became a U.S. citizen in 1998. She has been teaching English at Montgomery College, Rockville campus, for three years. Prior to that, she taught high school in the Prince Georges County Public School System.

Stella enjoys the challenge of teaching college students, and the freedom to design her own course materials. “You have a lot of flexibility in how to approach the course, much more than at the high school level,” she said in an interview. She also enjoys taking professional development classes at the college, when she can work them into her hectic schedule. “The most rewarding part of teaching at MC is when a student contacts me, sometimes long after the course is over, to say “hi” or to thank me, she said. “…Then, I feel, perhaps, I did make a contribution.”

Like other adjuncts in search of a living wage, Stella has put in many hours and miles traveling from one school to another. For two years, she shuttled back and forth between MC and Prince Georges Community College. Last year she commuted between MC’s Rockville and Takoma Park campuses. Stella also has spent countless hours in lesson planning. “There’s quite a bit of preparation time, developing different materials and syllabi for each course,” she noted. All this uncompensated time adds up. Despite her best efforts, Stella just barely made a living this past year. “I managed but didn’t have extra cash to save,” she said. She finds herself “always looking after money and worried about the future.”

To save money, Stella has had to alter her lifestyle. She lives with her sister and 87-year-old mother in her sister’s home, and rents out the condo she owns.  Her financial situation worsened this summer when a full time professor took over her class the weekend before it started. Stella’s search for full-time employment with the college also has been disappointing. She applied for four jobs at MC, with two interviews but no offers.

For Stella, benefits, more income, and job security are the most important issues. At present she has no retirement savings and no health insurance. She hasn’t been to a doctor in over three years. Nevertheless, Stella remains optimistic about the union contract negotiations. “If we show that we are just as interested in furthering the success of Montgomery College as the administration, we can’t fail,” she said.