“Meet a Mountain Lion” is a series of stories introducing members of the UCCS community to campus. Meet Alex Kirby, a Residence Hall Manager at UCCS.
1. Tell us about your background, and what brought you to UCCS.
I grew up in Austin, Texas, spending part of my life in The Woodlands, Texas, and moved out to Colorado Springs in August of 2016. I had never set foot in Colorado in my entire life up to that point, but I knew that I needed a change of scenery, so I took a chance on UCCS. The pictures I saw of campus as well as the smaller size of the university were significant contributors to my choice to attend college here.
I majored in Communications with a minor in Student Affairs in Higher Education and Graduated in December 2020. Little did I know when I packed up my Ford Focus with everything I owned and drove out here what a significant impact UCCS would have on me, my life goals, and my motivation to rise above and succeed.
2. What do you do at UCCS?
I am currently a Residence Hall Manager, but I worked as the Occupancy Specialist for the Residence Life & Housing Department before accepting this role. Before that, I worked for almost four years as a Front Desk Lead in the same department. I guess you could say I’m loyal to the Residence Life & Housing department here at UCCS!
3. What do you love about UCCS?
Although I’m sure it’s a bit cliché, I love the UCCS community and the people the most. I have found a lot of fulfillment in interacting with the students, staff, and faculty at UCCS and have made very close friends through many different avenues here. On the less cliché side of things, I think that the views from campus are unrivaled by any other university I have ever visited. It’s hard to beat looking at Pikes Peak and the front range every day that I’m on campus!
4. What are you working on right now?
I just recently started as a Residence Hall Manager, so I am actively working on learning by doing as well as working to improve the on-campus experience for our residents and the staff members that do so much hard work for our department and the on-campus community. It is a lot of work, but I have really enjoyed everything I have been able to do so far and look forward to continuous improvement.
5. What energizes you at your job?
Undoubtedly the student interaction! Whether it’s interacting with my staff members or interacting with residents and UCCS students, I have always found a lot of fulfillment in the conversations and interactions that I have had with UCCS community members. There is a really interesting and wide variety of perspectives in the community, so there is always something new to learn from people that constructively challenges the perspectives that you hold. I see a lot of myself in the students here, and I always find that the best days I have are the days that include meaningful interactions with the Mountain Lion community.
6. What’s an accomplishment you’re proud of?
I dropped out of high school halfway through my junior year, got my GED, and almost immediately went to a college out of state. After not putting in the effort I should have been, I was kicked out and spent a lot of time floundering from odd job to odd job before I chose to go back to college at UCCS. Going from that chapter of my life to working at a university and working on my Master’s is something I am incredibly proud of and never could have predicted would be my reality now, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
7. What’s a goal you have for the future?
I am currently working on my Master’s in Public Administration through the MPA program at UCCS. After graduation, I really want to work for a non-profit organization that provides services to adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. My older sister has autism, so that population of people has always been a passion and focus of mine. I think that this would be a great opportunity to apply the things I’ve learned at UCCS through my academic and professional experiences to make an impact on a large, underserved community of unique and wonderful people.
8. What do you do with your free time?
I enjoy playing guitar when I have free time, as well as hanging out with my fiancé and our dog. When I have time to venture off campus, I like to spend time with my friends, usually working on cars or watching hockey. Sometimes both at once!
9. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
I have had a number of past supervisors compliment me on my ability to connect with anyone and everyone. I really value finding common ground with everyone that I can, as I feel like it opens up doors to understanding more about people. I firmly believe that the more you can connect with someone, the more you can really understand what makes them unique. Everyone has a story and I think it’s important that we value how those stories define who we are as human beings.
Do you know a Mountain Lion that UCCS should meet? We want to hear all about them! Invite them to share their story, and we’ll tell it to the UCCS community.