Our staff spotlight series continues with a deeper dive into the experiences and perspectives of the HEI staff — Continue reading to hear some recent thoughts from Chris Kirk, Research Associate II
What led you to your role at HEI, and how do your past experiences shape your work?
My attraction to research and evaluation was sparked by my undergraduate education at a small liberal arts college, where I developed a love for lifelong learning and the transformative impact of education. As a college student and later as a student affairs practitioner, I loved engaging directly with college students. Such interactions highlighted the role of education in leading fulfilling lives. In my former roles, I took great satisfaction in helping others foster a love for learning and a strong sense of community and embrace a holistic approach to education. Now, at HEI, I draw on my extensive experiences to support various organizations, including colleges, universities, and other organizations, in promoting learning and enhancing the effectiveness of their initiatives. I aim to support these organizations in refining what they do, helping them achieve their goals, and elevating the quality of education they provide.
What is something you recently learned regarding a project?
While I am not new to higher education, I am relatively new to evaluation. My introduction to evaluation came as a graduate student working on a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship, which laid the groundwork for my skills in evaluation. Since joining HEI, I’ve realized there is much more to learn. For example, I recently learned that there are differences between developmental, which focuses on helping organizations develop new systems and processes, and process evaluation, which assesses the implementation of project activities. As I continue in this role, I look forward to learning and growing as an evaluator.
If you could return to college tomorrow, what would you choose as your major and why?
If given the chance to return to college, I would pursue a computer science or computer engineering major. I originally studied philosophy in college, intending to attend law school, but life led me down a different path. I had a super slow laptop in college, which led me to discover Linux serendipitously. I started running different Linux distributions on my laptop because it ran much faster than the original operating system. That made me fascinated with technology and open-source projects, and since then, I have enjoyed dabbling in home tech projects. I recently set up a Raspberry Pi to stream my record player to all the speakers in my house automatically when I put a record on. I also recently found an open-source photo hosting application and am setting up a computer server to host all my photos at my house rather than paying for a cloud-based service. Is it easier? No! Is it enjoyable? Absolutely! Will my family be upset if I lose all our photos and can’t recover them? Probably! But until then, I plan to continue indulging in this hobby, which allows me to experience vicariously, at least a little, the life of a computer engineer.