Meet Sybil Hill! This interview took about an hour and a half because her jokes and sense of humor had me laughing throughout, and we kept getting distracted watching music videos and Googling our celebrity crushes. Read on to see how funny and awesome our new tech and sim lab coordinator is.
Kimberly: So where are you from originally?
Sybil: I was born in Albuquerque, NM and moved to Colorado when I was one. I basically grew up in Thornton.
K: So, does that mean you’re a big skier?
S: Oh no. I’ve tried but I get going and going too fast, get freaked out, and end up on the ground every time.
K: Are you married or have any kids?
S: I am married and have one daughter and two grandsons. They all live with me and my husband. One is 9 and one is 3. They call me Gram Hammy!
K: What are some of your hobbies?
S: I like reading scary, mystery type books. Not horror. And I like Stephen King. I also love to camp. We have some property on the western slope that we usually go to during the summer. It’s at about 8,500 feet, so you never know what you’re going to get in the winter. We have a house on the property, but we usually stay outside and sleep in the camper whenever we go up there.
K: Any pets?
S: I have a mini-Jack. That’s a miniature pincher mixed with a jack Russel. His name is Opie. Like Opie Taylor.
K: Who’s Opie Taylor?
S: Oh geeeeeeeez. He was on the old show Maybeurry RFD. The continuation of the Andy Griffith Show....
K: Oh….
K: What’s your ideal way to spend the weekend?
S: Because of the fact that my grandchildren live with me but go to their Dad’s on the weekend, I do a lot of holding down of the couch. Someone’s got to hold down the couch! It may float away.
K: What do you do while you’re holding down that couch?
S: Usually watching live PD. I love that show.
K: What is your go-to kind of music?
S: Oh, I like all kinds of music. I think I was either a singer or DJ in my other life. I’d be lost without music.
We proceeded to watch a 10-minute video of a competition of “elders” trying not to sing along, dance, head-bob or lip sync to iconic songs of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. It had us laughing out loud and embarrassing ourselves in the tech lab. Both of us totally lost the competition once Simon and Garfunkel and Aretha Franklin came on.
K: Is there anything you wish you knew more about?
S: I just love learning in general. I’m full of a bunch of trivial knowledge that no one cares about.
[Should we add her to our trivia teams?] Do you know why someone gives you a cold shoulder? It was a British thing way back in the 1700s or 1800s. Apparently, they partied for days on end, and when the party was over, the host would come and put a piece of cold meat on your shoulder, and that meant it was time for you to leave. Isn’t that the creepiest thing you’ve ever heard? I learn a lot of my trivia watching CBS Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley.
K: What are you addicted to? What life luxury could you not live without?
S: Live PD and coffee. My email address is “queenacafina!”
K: And most importantly… do you have a celebrity crush?
S: YES, I DO. Richard Rawlings. That’s it.
When I asked Sybil if there is anything else she wants students to know about her, she said it would be her depth of dental knowledge. Sybil has worked in the dental industry for over 30 years as an Expanded Duties Skills for Dental Assistants (EDDA) and lab tech. Most students do not realize that she is a great resource to go to when issues in lab arise. If you haven’t already, introduce yourself to this awesome woman dressed in vibrant scrubs breaking up our monotony of navy blue. You won’t regret it!
Kimberly is a second-year dental student at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. She grew up on the east coast and graduated with a degree in biology from James Madison University. Kim enjoys exploring the mountains, running, and reading.