Keira Getchel Bacon graduated with a Healthcare Science degree with plans to pursue physical therapy. Now, she’s a decade into her staffing career at Kelly, a recruiting agency, still using many of the skills she honed during school and demonstrating the versatility of her education.
The 2009 Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences alumna envisioned a very different path for herself originally, participating in clinicals and cadaver labs, learning about different therapy settings and planning to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy, before an injury forced her to reevaluate her plans.
“I’ve had quite the journey, especially at Kelly,” Keira said. “I don’t think anyone or myself expected to be in this career industry since leaving UCCS, but it has been a great fit.”
Keira is currently Senior Learning & Development Facilitator at her company, where she partners with business leaders to develop and implement trainings in many areas, including new hire training for sales and recruiting. Additionally, she facilitates training in a variety of systems technology and does a bit of dabbling in leadership training.
“I had been a recruiter for several years, but I always felt like I had other skills that I wanted to apply and to expand my experience,” said Keira. “Every time we would hire a new person, I would be the person they would shadow and learn processes from, and that’s where I found a passion for training. Additionally, I love the creation of training and the materials and just helping people. I’ve been in this role now for a little over three years, and I absolutely love it.”
Keira continues to expand her training expertise, introducing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) training to her colleagues after participating in the UCCS Strategic Artificial Intelligence Program.
“UCCS reached out to me and not only am I going through the certificate program, but I was also on the advisory board for about a year and to give feedback on the experience of the program,” she shared. “It’s been amazing to meet other people in different industries that are taking this certificate program to see how AI is affecting their industry and career, and it’s been really nice to get back into the school and education mindset again to continue learning and see how much AI has a presence everywhere.”
Though Keira changed career fields after graduating, she never lost her love for science and desire to incorporate it into her work.
“Some of my fondest memories are working with big pharmaceutical and medical device companies and hiring for them,” she said. “I ended up getting to hire a lot of engineers and scientists who eventually developed the COVID vaccine. It was really rewarding to get to know that industry more – the steps taken to develop a new product and the approval process. That’s why staffing was so fun, I still got to learn about science and engineering but in all different kinds of industries. I get a lot of exposure to science and get to apply my degree in very different ways, but I still feel like I’m part of that community.”
Outside of her work, Keira stays busy with her family, reading and outdoor exploration.
“I’m parenting a toddler, which is its own job in itself,” she laughed. “But I read a lot, and I’m reading my 30th book of the year so far. It’s such great escapism.”
No matter what new skills she’s learning or teaching to others, it all comes back to helping people and lifelong learning for Keira.
“I went into UCCS wanting to be in healthcare and help people that way, but I was still able to do that through staffing and I got to meet some really amazing people and get them careers that made a difference,” said Keira. “It was very rewarding. What I love so much about this job is that there’s a balance of everything. I get to use the creative side of side of my brain while still being able to work with people and do some critical thinking. We’re a global company and I get to network with a lot of different people with different backgrounds, and I’m always learning.”