Cinzia Fissore: An Environmental Enthusiast
Professor Cinzia Fissore’s office door is wide open. From her desk, she can see the Upper Quad from the fourth-story SLC window. Her office is neat, with a few books and papers cluttered about. A long bookshelf lines the right side of her office.
Fissore has a bubbly presence, folding her hands over her table to speak. But when she talks, her hands flutter upwards as she excitedly recalls the project to cultivate a coffee orchard on campus. In fact, last July, the College made headlines in the Whittier Daily News for creating Greenleaf Coffee, Whittier’s first and only coffee brand.
The project was in collaboration with a small roasting company in Sacramento called Golden State Brew that produces different varieties of coffee, ranging from Gesha Light Roast to Rume Sudan. But when Fissore is not excitedly auctioning off these varieties of coffee to donors of to College, you may have the opportunity to briefly catch her in her office in SLC 314, answering questions from classes or strolling through the campus garden, instructing students on the fundamentals of gardening. Soil science is Fissore’s specialty, a concentration she focused on during her undergraduate studies at the University of Torino in Italy.
“It all started from understanding what’s seemingly so small,” Fissore says animatedly with her hands. “I tend to look at elements in soil, like carbon for example, or I look at clay minerals. They are so small that [you] can’t see them, with the naked eye. How something that small actually regulates the ecosystem as a whole, so this type of complex system and [the] set of connections and relationships across components of an ecosystem really intrigues me.” Growing up near the Italian Alps after completing years of environmental research at the University of Minnesota, along with receiving a PhD, Fissore relocated to California, where she applied for her most daunting position yet: a college professor.
“Before coming to Whittier, I was not a full-time professor anywhere else,” she laughs humbly. “I co-taught a course on wetland biochemistry, but I was not a full-time professor elsewhere. So, this is my very first gig.”
Fissore’s deep love of environmental science is highlighted in her vibrant office. Mini succulents grace the top shelf of her bookshelf. Even the paintings in Fissore’s office reflect her interest. An image of a woman holding a bouquet of lilies sits in the corner.
Fissore’s love of agriculture and biology originated in her childhood, as most children’s do, in her very own backyard.
“I have my parents to thank for that,” she says fondly. “When I was growing up, my parents always encouraged me to go outside, experience nature…[My parents] were not too worried about me getting dirty.”
She tucks a hair behind her ear, reflecting on her favorite pastime: hiking in the Italian Alps, the same ones that served as a backdrop to her childhood.
“I like feeling so small in front of those big mountains,” she smiles. “And then discover such a beautiful meadow or a lake,” she continues. “So that really makes me happy.”
But when Fissore does not have the opportunity to be outside (where she is usually), she opts to stay inside to read mystery books (her favorites) or cook, familiarizing herself with “different spices.” She jokingly admits shame when discussing her favorite foods; “I really like Thai food. I shouldn’t say that, being Italian probably.” She laughs, “As much as I like food from my culture because it obviously feels so familiar, I do like Thai food, and I am learning how to handle the spice.”
Despite her ramblings about food, Fissore offers some insight. She reflects on a moment in her life–the transition between her undergraduate years and post-graduate years– a time she refers to as “feeling stuck.”
“I think we should approach ‘being stuck’ as we call it, as a positive because it allows us to stop, to reflect, to think,” she says. “I really believe that it’s through struggles that we learn the most.”
Some further advice she would lend to students is to “Make the best out of every course that you take, to learn as much as possible from that class. It might be life skills, it might be learning about yourself, but there’s so much to be learned,” and to “take advantage of the fact that at Whittier College, you can work alongside your faculty members.” Fissore advises all students not to “be shy, but to approach us and ask if that professor can offer some work experience, some learning experience, something beyond the classroom.”
“I think you’d be surprised by how easy it is to get ‘unstuck’ by being proactive and taking ownership,” she continues.
Fissore will be teaching a course in the Fall on the coffee supply chain, a discipline that covers all aspects of production: marketing, economics, and business administration. As a professor, she hopes that all students take advantage of a liberal arts education where a variety of classes and activities exist.
“I wish I could attend a liberal arts college back in the day– I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. I would have taken a pottery class,” Fissore chirps. “So yeah,” she continues, “life is so unpredictable and complex too, and you get these seemingly random opportunities that come your way, and those are life-changing, very often for the best.”
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