Can’t see the video? Click here. To read a raw transcript, click here.
When programming professor Marc Biagi greets his classes at San Diego City College, most students expect a rigorous course diving into topics of algorithms, programming logic, software and game design.
What they usually don’t expect to hear is Professor Robotnik, C-3PO, Vector the Crocodile or an entire list of character voices coming from the classroom.
But that rare mix of spontaneous creative energy and technical expertise is what makes him one of the most memorable instructors, the proverbial Renaissance man of campus.
Biagi was involved in theater as a child and enjoyed imitating various voices and dialects. He later took that love for performance into voice acting.
“I’ve acted since I was a kid in school productions, and I was always doing accents and dialects,” Biagi said to CTTV’s Varun Chaturvedi. “And then when I got older in college, I did a lot of theater and realized that’s something I really wanted to do.”
In the Nov. 7 edition of “Inside City,” Biagi didn’t just discuss his career with host Chaturvedi – he voiced it. Literally.
In a matter of moments, he shifted from a warm, friendly “Biagi tone” so famous in his classroom and the Academic Senate meetings where he serves as treasurer, to the undeniable voices of iconic characters.
Behind his creative talent, however, Biagi’s journey is marked by the challenging reality of being an adjunct faculty member.
As a part-time professor, he has to navigate low pay, a lack of job security, and has faced, at times, food and housing insecurities – struggles that many adjuncts and students know all too well.
“It’s a tough environment to be in,” Biagi said. “I’m glad our campus provides some really great services to be able to help our students and others who are in need.”
Story edited by Mari Pliego, Nadia Lavin, Tresean Osgood and Varun Chaturvedi.
Update, Dec. 3: Story updated to include accessible link to the raw transcript.
