When new H. Chik M. Erzurumlu Dean of the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science at Portland State University, Joseph Bull, convened the first Executive Council meeting of his tenure; Kristina Henry Hall was invited to offer a student’s perspective of her experience. Her story is an inspiring and timely one.
Like many nontraditional students, PSU offered her an ideal environment to track a flexible path to her dream career. Kristina’s life is a master class in adaptability. Students who experience obstacles or a change in degree plans should be inspired by her perseverance. Kristina started many endeavors at a young age: she returned from a military deployment to Afghanistan and was married with three young children while still in her 20s. Originally harboring a desire to study graphic design, Kristina eventually utilized her GI Bill to study a new love–construction management.
However, having to remain in the Portland area, she couldn’t find the perfect bachelor program. After various twists and turns, she is now on her final steps to an undergraduate dual major in Technology & Analytics at PSU’s Business School and a Civil Engineering degree from Maseeh College. With only two more years of coursework remaining to obtain both degrees, she is facing a final hurdle. Financial aid will only fund one of her programs, so she will either need to choose or find another way to navigate the conclusion of her educational journey that she began in 2015.
Kristina points out that the quarter system at PSU is high pressure and high stakes, especially given the challenging nature of her courses and her ambition to do exceptionally well in them. Although her position on the Dean’s List is impressive, the fact that she accomplished this despite a difficult divorce, a remarriage, having two more children, and a documented learning disability that makes her mental processing and retention slower than average; with accommodation from PSU’s Disability Resource Center, she is excelling and finding ways to absorb information into her long-term memory.
Twists and turns like the ones Kristina encountered are increasingly common, but PSU and Maseeh College are dedicated to meeting students where they are and offer assistantships at many levels. Our advisors are always here to help, tutoring is available, internships and undergraduate research and mentoring programs are available, and our career services center is here to jumpstart your future career. Please let us know if you’d like to share the story of your journey as a Maseeh College student in an upcoming issue of Maseeh Matters.