How do babies’ minds develop? How can female leaders thrive? How can Holy Cross students learn to speak up and out? These are all questions that Danuta “Diane” Bukatko, professor of psychology, explores in her popular and well-regarded courses.
As a teacher and mentor at the College, Bukatko has played a significant role in the lives of hundreds of students over the course of her 42-year tenure. It was only fitting then that the College awarded her the 2018 Donal J. Burns ’49 Career Teaching Medal, given annually to one outstanding faculty member who has devoted their life to teaching at the College.
While Bukatko has been lecturing for decades, her approach and accessibility to students is entirely timeless. Bukatko’s students describe her as a professor who “ensures that all students are equipped with the necessary resources to achieve success.” One student noted, “She was sure to deeply connect with her students, but it was her ability to push them outside of their academic comfort zones and foster open and dynamic communication that set her classes apart from others.”
Binah Saint-Loth ’19 — a psychology major with a concentration in Africana studies and one of Bukatko’s former students who is currently doing research with the professor about women in leadership — sat down with Bukatko to talk about teaching, making an impact on students and how she still gets jazzed about psychology.