Alumni Spotlight - Kris Racina
Kris is the Associate Vice Chancellor of University and Student Advancement at 蜜桃影像. She graduated from SOM with an MBA in 2009.
Why did you choose to attend 蜜桃影像?
I grew up in Fairbanks and 蜜桃影像 has always been part of my life. My brothers and sisters attended school here, and my nieces and nephews are either enrolled or will soon be attending.
Share with us an outstanding teacher or class.
I was a 鈥渕athophobe,鈥 fearful of math because of a bad experience with an elementary school teacher. Later at 蜜桃影像, a developmental math teacher helped me crack the code by telling me 鈥渢rust the formula, work the formula - the logic will eventually reveal itself.鈥
What is a favorite SOM memory?
Jim Collins鈥 take home final in MBA quantitative analysis. Don鈥檛 let him fool you; I spent 40 hours on it. That was the only time I ever had a meltdown when I visited a professor. Well, the only time I recall. Maybe Jim has a different memory of that day?!
What does being a 蜜桃影像 alumnus mean to you?
I belong to a community of shared experiences and understanding 鈥 a rigorous education that I am proud of and proud to help others achieve.
What鈥檚 the number one skill or practice that has contributed to your success?
The ability to sift through information and extract the essential elements needed for decision-making. The many case studies I read as a SOM student taught me you have to make decisions based on the information you have in front of you. Avoid commitment to a poor choice if you get new information that indicates a change of course - in the business world it鈥檚 all about being adaptable.
What advice would you give to current students?
Math teaches you how to think logically and is worth every bit of effort you put into it. After my experience with the developmental math teacher, I went on to achieve 鈥楢s鈥 in every math class I took; I even loved calculus. I engage in logical analysis every day and that has been valuable in so many professional endeavors.
Snapshot
- Favorite breakfast food? Eggs, any style but over easy, especially with cheese.
- What book are you reading? 鈥淨ualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences.鈥 Working on a Ph.D. - slowly but surely.
- Where is your dream vacation? New Zealand hiking trip; hopefully in December 2016.
- Last music download? Mindy Abair, 鈥淚 Can鈥檛 Wait For Christmas.鈥 She鈥檚 a great sax player and this is a super cool, jazzy, sexy Christmas song. Give it a listen; 鈥榯is the season.
- What's the best advice you didn't take? Don鈥檛 sell your first house. Argggghhh, I wish I had kept it as a rental unit.
