Alive? Yes. Female? Yes. Studied in France during the Maoist movement? Yes. In Spain during General Franco’s dictatorship? Yes. Left Cuba just before the Bay of Pigs? Yes. Granddaughter of a Cuban Supreme Court judge? Yes. Trilingual? Yes. Diplomat or Ambassador? Not officially. Guilford professor? Yes. Sylvia Trelles? Absolutely! Trelles has been teaching at Guilford since 1984. She was inspired to teach by her undergraduate French professor. She admired his animated teaching style. She decided that if she ever became a teacher, she would teach like him.

Students vouch that she has met her aspirations.

“She brings literature to life,” said sophomore Zoey Greco. “She’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever had.”

However, because of her modesty, many students are unaware of the harsh realities of her early life.

When she was 13, her family was forced to leave Cuba for their opposition to Fidel Castro’s politics. They arrived in New York City with nothing but a spoon to their name.

In Cuba, she had lived in an affluent neighborhood. being from a family of lawyers. Her family owned a beachfront property with two cars, employed numerous servants and commanded much respect.

Her New York City apartment, on the other hand, was no bigger than a Binford dorm room. She used to sleep in a chair and shower in a space more restrictive than a coffin.

A weaker person might have cursed luck for the change in fortunes. Trelles, however, learned to turn adversity into opportunity. She assimilated into American culture, enjoyed city life, completed high school and became an American citizen.

Trelles excelled as a student. Fully subsidized, she attended Ripon College in Wisconsin and majored in French. Her appreciation for languages and diversity fueled her desire to travel. In her junior year she studied abroad in France.

She vividly remembers her first week in Paris and being unable to communicate with her broken French. This foreign language professor was then terrified of not being understood.

As she met challenges, she grew. From Paris, she hitchhiked across Europe. She learned to be more independent. She found confidence in her ability to survive.

A changed Trelles returned home and earned a Masters degree in French.

She taught French and Spanish for five years at Wake Forest University before leaving to complete her Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. She had found the South so enchanting that she interviewed at Guilford after completing her dissertation.

Once she interviewed, she really liked it.

“Students challenged professors at Guilford,” she said. “It was not like that at other places.”

Trilingual, she understands the difficulties of learning a language. Her empathy translates well in her Spanish classes.

However, she expects great things of her students. She works hard and expects no less from them.

“She is a good teacher because she challenges her students. Because she cares,” said junior Marya Millard. “I think she expects a lot more than others.”

In her twentieth year at Guilford, she finds it a special place. She feels comfortable teaching here. Her students’ positive attitudes, being able to experiment with new course ideas and an excellent foreign language department all keep her at Guilford.

“When she’s here, she’s always here for the students,” said Guilford professor Laura Ibarra. “Many times she’s here after hours.”

Trelles’s mother shares the same respect for her. “Because she is so much into what she’s doing, I often have to call and remind her, have you had anything to eat at lunch time?” she said.

Sylvia is as persistent as she is dedicated. She changed doctor after doctor until someone cured her mother’s brain tumors. Most doctors gave up hope; she didn’t.

Her 89-year-old mother lives with her. She is alive and well.

Trelles survived the loss of her ten-year-old sister to a heart attack, immersed herself in many cultures and lived in several nations. Through her travels, she witnessed history in the making. Her success lies in her journey as much as it does in her destination.

Her adventurous life is exciting enough for Hollywood.

She, however, hardly thinks so. She names her biggest accomplishment as the time she received a letter from a student, thanking her, for how well prepared the student was for graduate school.
She does wish sometimes that she had married, had a family and children, however for the most part she has no regrets.

“Now I have my dogs,” she says instead of a husband. “At least they don’t talk back.”

But Sylvia has many children. Her students are her sons and daughters. They love her for the wonderful person that she is.

She drove for hours to find a stray cat and her kittens. She took the injured mother cat to a veterinarian and found homes for the kittens. Because she has two dogs, one of whom she rescued, the mother cat now sleeps on her bed. So that any guests in the room adjacent to hers would not get disturbed by the animal, she moved to another room.

Who does that? Friend and coworker Guilford professor Laura Ibarra answers, “Sylvia Trelles.”