12/13/22 local

By University Communications

HAYS, Kan. – “Learning is continual.” That is the overarching theme Dominic Llamas, 36, has applied not just to his academic success at FHSU but also to his career and family life. Llamas will graduate in December with a B.S. in Information Networking and Technology and a concentration in Information Systems.

Llamas’s journey to the commencement stage at FHSU has taken many unique turns. At age 18, Llamas was hired to do data entry for the state of Kansas. His supervisors recognized his skills, and he quickly advanced to an Information Technology position.

“But I felt like there was something missing,” Llamas said. “Part of that was my lack of education compared to my peers who had completed schooling to get a chance at the same job I had. In a sense, I was blessed that way, but I always felt that there was something missing.”

Llamas attained an associate degree from Allen County in 2014 and soon began an IT position at Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka. To keep his academic momentum going, he entered FHSU in 2014 but found that the time constraints of learning a new job, a full-time load of college coursework, and the demands of a growing family impacted his academic success. He decided to discontinue his coursework and focus on his family.

Throughout the next few years, Llamas felt the gentle nudging of the goal he had set early on of achieving a bachelor’s degree. So, in the spring of 2021, he resumed his degree program at FHSU.

“I always stressed with my kids that if you set a goal to do something, you’re going to finish it out,” Llamas said. “Whether that be sports or academics or club, or whatever it is. I can’t preach to my kids that you should do something and not follow through with it. To me, schooling was my end goal.”

His kids are ages 14, 11, and 6 and are active in music and sports. Llamas has found that his ability to juggle a tight schedule has helped ensure his family’s development and growth aren’t impacted by his coursework.

“I guess busy is an understatement,” he said. “I’ve had many mornings where it’s like 3, 4, a couple of times 5 a.m., and I’m still trying to wrap coursework up and go to sleep for a couple of hours so I can go into work.”

Offering wisdom to future and current FHSU online students, Llamas said it is important to read each course syllabus. Without face-to-face contact, students must work harder to determine what is expected in their classes and reach out to instructors to get the needed feedback.

“You have to be willing to learn new skills and interact with people from different backgrounds, and most importantly, take constructive criticism,” he said. “Sometimes you need to take a step back and be willing to let all these things happen. Be able to approach things with an open mind.”

He said he appreciates his FHSU professors who have challenged him to meet difficult expectations. Meeting those challenges, he said, assists him not just academically but also in his daily life. He believes this is a way that professors communicate to their students their desire for their students to do well and excel in life.

Llamas is considering pursuing a master’s degree. An M.B.A. in Management, he said, would help prepare him for a future role in management where he could pass on his skills to others to help them grow as better IT employees.

“Learning for me is continual,” he said. “Just because I finished my bachelor’s, I don’t think I stop pushing myself to learn more.”