Kimberly Gonzales
M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction, 2012
UT provided me a way to bridge my undergraduate degree in computer science with my passion for education in a meaningful way. I learned so much from others in my cohort because of their diverse backgrounds. There were students that came from instructional design companies, teachers that either led the implementation of education technology at their school or actively used technology to teach their subject, and people like me who came straight from university with a background in technology or education and wanted to learn more about the other. The diversity of the students was also reflected in the professors’ interests, and from each class I learned a new definition of what “learning technology” could mean.
Why UT?
As a native Texan, I always wanted to someday bleed burnt orange. I was so sure in my choice that I didn’t apply to other graduate programs Dr. Min Liu reached out to me immediately upon applying and asked me to be part of “Alien Rescue’ group. When I came to visit before officially enrolling, I knew I had made the right choice.
UT’s location was also attractive because of the number of technology companies located in Austin. I would never have imaged just how connected UT and its professors were to the greater Austin community and beyond. Professors have research projects in collaboration with local K-12 schools, other departments at UT and even other universities. Many major technology and education conferences come to Austin once a year, and sometimes conference speakers make a pit stop in one of our classes.
Life After UT
I am currently a Digital Content Engineer at Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas. At TI, I manage the development of educational content for various platforms and facilitate the update of content based on software changes. I use the skills I learned in the Learning Technologies program to provide students and teachers the best opportunities to be successful using TI Technology with our educational content.
Advice for Students
One of the benefits of such a small program is that you eventually get to know all students in your cohort very well. Collaborate with them as much as you can and learn from their experiences.
