Teacher of the Month: Amanda Lardizabal
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College associate biology professor Amanda Lardizabal is transforming her students into stewards for health and wellness.
Through her passion and dedication, microbiology becomes a gateway where students’ curiosity blooms, confidence grows, and professional futures take root — spreading knowledge, compassion, and skill from the classroom into the whole community.
It is this influence that has earned Lardizabal the iBerkshires Teacher of the Month designation. Lardizabal received nominations from students, who praised her unwavering dedication, contagious passion for teaching, and her deep commitment to nurturing every student’s success.
The Teacher of the Month series, in collaboration with Berkshire Community College, features distinguished teachers nominated by community members. You can nominate a teacher here.
"I really want my students to feel confident in themselves and in their knowledge, so that they can advocate for their patients, they can advocate for themselves, and they can advocate for their loved ones at a doctor's appointment," Lardizabal said.
"I want my students to have that strength and knowledge to know what's right and what's not, to never take things at face value, and to always critically think … and most importantly, not throw antibiotics at everything."
Lardizabal described her classroom as her happy place — where, even on the toughest days, she rushes in, knowing her students will fill her with joy and continue to be the best part of her day.
"I love teaching like it is the best job ever, and I love my job at Berkshire Community College," she said.
Students described Lardizabal as one-of-a-kind, invaluable, and irreplaceable, praising her gift for making microbiology's complexities comprehensible and fun.
"Before taking microbiology with Amanda, I was not a very confident student. Amanda taught me the tools to be my own advocate and seek out the tools that are best for me to learn. Each day I’m experimenting with new study techniques and resources," said Rachel Signer, health science and nutrition student.
"Amanda taught me how to learn. After taking microbiology with Amanda, my confidence in my ability to learn and take on complicated topics has really increased. I realized that once you find out what learning techniques work for you as a student, the possibilities are endless … I feel more prepared than ever to continue my education."
Lardizabal teaches through the eyes of a learner, sharing the strategies and techniques that once helped her master the material herself.
"I think about when I learned it. It's not easy, and I think about what I needed to learn and to truly understand a topic and I just incorporate it into the classroom as much as possible. I always make sure to hit as many learning styles as possible," she said.
By skillfully adapting her teaching methods to meet diverse learning needs, she not only demystifies a difficult subject but also empowers students to discover confidence in themselves.
"She was super motivating and really made learning, and her class achievable. I think one of her strongest suits is organization, and her ability to kind of keep her students organized and really lay out what the class was going to look like … she was a professor, who wanted her students to succeed, and really gave us every outlet possible to succeed," said Kelsey Boillat, a nursing student.
Students have a range of learning styles to choose from, including lab work, interactive lectures, videos, colorful and animated slide-show presentations, humorous visual demonstrations, and more.
"I think she makes not only me, but every student she has, confident in learning. I think confidence is the major key to succeeding in anything you want to do in life … and she fosters that in her students," said Skye Bagley, another nursing student.
Bagley said Lardizabal has been the most effective teacher she has had since grade school — helping her regain academic confidence after struggling in high school by introducing her to new studying strategies, which she uses to maintain her high grade point average.
"She really helps set me up for success. You can really feel that she loves what she does, and she loves teaching, and it's not just a job for her. She really wants to see you succeed," said Jocelyn Andrews, nursing student.
Lardizabal wants inclusive, thoughtful teaching to become the norm, where every single class is student centered, where every learner feels valued and the curriculum is relevant to their future careers, whether it’s nursing, criminal justice, or other paths they choose to follow.
"I love that my students feel confident to teach others. It brings me so much joy and that's what I feel like my legacy is," she said.
She appreciates Berkshire Community College's intimate classrooms, where the small class size of around 30 students fosters closer connections and more personalized learning.
"Knowing that my students have the confidence to share their knowledge and skills with others that aren't at BCC really warms my heart and makes me so, so proud of them," she said.
Lardizabal brings the curriculum to life through interactive, thought-provoking, and engaging lessons that linger with students long after class ends, inspiring them to continue learning independently beyond the classroom walls, said Alexia Vriezelaar, criminal justice and nursing student.
Laughter and joy fill the classroom, making it feel less like a traditional learning space and more like a gathering of friends or family, said Alexis Stevens, a nursing student.
"She's a professor that you don't often come across, that truly cares. She doesn't feel like a professor. She stays professional, but she turns more into a friend and family — through college you need that professor to lean on, and there's not many of them," she said.
Lardizabal's impact reaches far beyond the classroom — she continues to mentor and support her students long after they leave her class, staying in contact with them throughout their professional journeys.
"I think it's important to have a teacher like her, because she is someone that you can depend on … She is just so amazing … I think she'll stay with me because of all the amazing things that we learned throughout the class," said nursing student Aficia Lewis.
"I think I can, maybe, in the nursing field, give some type of advice on what she gave us and what she taught us. It's amazing to have someone like that in your corner … you can never forget someone like her. She's very memorable. You can't forget her."
Nursing is one of the best careers to go into because there is always a need. Learning never stops in the career because things change and new treatments are discovered, she said.
Staying in contact with her students when they enter the workforce allows her to maintain the relationship she builds with them but also keeps her curriculum to stay relevant.
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