Karen Burrows, B.A. Philosophy Class of 1998
“FHSU gave me a lot of opportunities I wouldn’t have had at a bigger university.”
Karen Burrows has worked in education for two decades and is now the Satanta Grade School principal. She graduated from Fort Hays State University with a B.A. in English and Philosophy in 1998 and then completed an M.A. in English. Along with being a principal, Burrows also teaches Ethical Issues in the Professions and Business online for FHSU.
Looking back, Burrows is glad she went to FHSU, where she developed close connections with her professors in the English Programs and Philosophy Programs and enjoyed the small class sizes. “FHSU gave me a lot of opportunities I wouldn’t have had at a bigger university,” she says. When reflecting on her experience in the philosophy program, she remarks, “The program taught me how to think deeply and carefully. To really define issues and figure out what it is you’re actually talking about.”
Today, Burrows still thinks about everything from a philosophical framework, and her philosophy studies have proved useful as a grade school principal. “My background in philosophy helps me narrow down what is the issue that were looking at and helps me think through things carefully, deciding what issues are relevant, and what issues aren’t relevant. Also, a lot of things I deal with are ethical dilemmas, so having some background in how to think through ethical issues is extremely valuable as a principal.”
When asked what advice she has for philosophy students, she says, “Don’t feel like the degree you get determines what you end up doing. My degrees are in philosophy and English. I never would have predicted that I would become a grade school principal, and yet here I am, and I think that I’m better as a principal because of those degrees. You might look at that philosophy degree and say, ‘What am I going to do with this degree?’ but it can still take you down a path where you really do have a career. Something fulfilling but not something that you would think of as a direct, practical application of that philosophy degree.”