Congratulations on graduating this December. What are your plans after graduation?

I have two plans. Plan one is to hit the ground running with job searches. I’ve done the traditional way so far by putting my resume on Monster and Career Builder, as well as Raytheon. Hopefully I can get an administration position. If that falls through within a set time frame, then my fallback is to be a substitute teacher until I find something else to get into.

What has your experience been while raising four children while achieving your undergraduate’s degree?

It has been very testing and difficult, because the children have gone through different stages of development while I’ve been in school. When I started my oldest was eight and now she is 13, going on 14. The different developmental stages and transitions from eight to 13 are challenging, especially the whole middle school experience. In addition to that, you also have to balance your time between family, study time and also time for yourself. That was not easy while trying to maintain my academics.

What was one of your favorite classes you have taken at the U of A?

I have a couple, but one that I am taking right now is a Mexican studies course. We do breakout sections every Thursday, so we are able to discuss the material. I like that course, because I have learned a lot about Mexican-American culture and the history behind it. I think that it is significant to the Tucson environment. I also like meeting different people and a majority of the students in the class are comprised of Mexican heritage background.

ð- Kelsey Ahlmark