Kira Fierro

Pronouns: 

She/Her

Major: 

English and Spanish

Hometown: 

Ukiah, CA

What are your campus involvements? 

English Student Association President, Writing Center Tutor, Student Assistant 

What is your favorite memory or experience at SSU? 

My favorite memory at SSU is meeting my friend Colette. We met in our English 160A seminar since we both needed to find a group of people that we would work with for the whole year on various projects. For someone like me, a relative introvert who hasn’t needed to make new friends in a while (since I grew up around the same 50 people), the thought of talking to someone made me nervous. Talking in class was easy, but making friends was not.

Colette was a shining, exemplary student sitting a few seats away from me. She would often raise her hand and effortlessly answer questions that the professor posed. I realized quickly how much I wanted to be friends with someone who simply exuded confidence and kindness. One day, I saw a sticker on her water bottle, and right before we left that day, I asked her about it. That led to a budding friendship which blossomed into a great relationship, and we now do everything together. We run the English Student Association together, look over each other's papers, and are always a quick call or text away. SSU gave me my best friend!

What has been the most challenging part of your college experience and what did you learn from it? 

The most difficult part about college has been living away from home and learning to exist outside of a comfortable sphere. I have been a relatively introverted person. Making friends was easy growing up, because I would meet extroverted people who would do all the talking. College was not like this, people usually do not just walk up to you and ask to be friends. Learning to break away from my comfortable isolation in the first few weeks of school was difficult but necessary to thrive. For most of my life, I assumed that I would rather be alone than surrounded by tons of people, but I realized that we need companionship to be socially fulfilled. When I started being more outgoing and stepping out of my comfort zone, I made several friends and now I have a lively friend group that makes my life more dynamic and exciting.

What brought you to SSU, and what motivates you to stay? 

Despite being hopelessly in love with the humanities, a STEM camp is what brought me to SSU. Even though I did not pursue a science degree, the experience made me remember the attractiveness of the SSU campus when deciding which schools to apply to. I remembered all the trees, plants, and green places on campus and how blue the sky was during the early summer.

This, coupled with the amazing English department, solidified my decision to attend SSU. The English department had everything I was looking for in a program: intriguing class topics, small class sizes, and amazing, passionate people who truly loved to learn. I knew then that these were the type of people I wanted to be surrounded by. It is my instructors and peers who motivate me to stay and continue learning.

Who at SSU has influenced you and/or made an impact on your journey here? 

The English department has made a tremendous impact on my SSU journey. The students and faculty have brilliant minds and are reminders of why I am pursuing a literature degree. Everyone here is full of passion for a particular literary movement or a certain author. The questions and ideas posed by my classmates give me new perspectives and allow me to see texts in a new light. Everyone is so inspirational, encouraging, and uplifting and I can’t help but love the community that surrounds me.

I want to continue pursuing my passion for writing and literature and hope to become a professor one day. Dr. Wandling, Dr. Hester-Williams, and Dr. Bryant are all amazing educators whom I would like to emulate when I become a teacher. They all have a genuine love for what they do and make sure they do all that they can for their students to succeed. Each of the classes I have spent with these educators has been imperative to my success and continued adoration for literature and learning.