MORE ABOUT ALEX
Graduation Date: June 2009
Hometown: Flossmoor, Illinois
High School: Marian Catholic High School
Awards & Achievements:
- Dean’s List
Campus Involvement:
- Director of Public Relations for I’L Pledge
- Member of DePaul Men’s A Cappella
- Honors Mentor
- President of the Honors Student Government
Current Employment:
- America Reads tutor
- Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery server
Alex Kuehr
Area of Study:Digital Cinema with a minor in Theatre Studies
I chose my major because... My time at DePaul can be best described as highly dynamic. I began my first year as a political science student, in hopes of changing the world. I have learned over time the importance of following one’s dreams and passions. I began pursuing the digital cinema major along with the theater studies minor in order to continue my exposure to the arts, and to learn a craft that will help my writing take shape. I see my undergraduate experience as one that will prepare me for whatever life throws my way, in the real world and through creativity.
My favorite thing to do on campus is... reading in the Quad. However, I thoroughly enjoy people watching at the Student Center, and more importantly, singing with DePaul Men’s A Cappella.
I decided to attend DePaul because... the city provides such a wonderful environment for undergraduate work. The opportunities are endless and the diversity allows for so much personal growth. Along with my acceptance into the Honors Program, which really serves as a family community for its students, I simply knew Chicago was where I needed to be for this next stage in my life.
The class I most enjoyed here was... Honors 205 was an amazing course. It is an inter-disciplinary class that tries to combine the arts with an academic purpose. My section was about art and art history in regards to protest art during the Vietnam era. It was taught by Trish Kelly, a wonderful art history professor. We studied abstract expressionism, earth art, video art, minimalism and performance art, just to name a few. It was so interesting to connect artistic expression with the social and political context of the time. A very interesting time in American history and an even more interesting class to take!
When I have free time, I like to... experience the city. I love long bike rides to new areas, visits to museums and zoos, trips to the beach, shopping in trendy areas or eating at great restaurants. We live in one of the greatest cities in the world and I plan on experiencing as much of the culture as I can before my time here is up!
My favorite thing to do off campus is... bicycling. My bike is my best friend. Taking rides along the lake and reading a good book on the beach, or making trips along the lakeshore to the Montrose Bird Conservatory keep my love of the natural world alive. It is really important to me to not overload on urban living, because it can be exhausting.
Here, the diversity of students, faculty and staff... has changed my life. There are so many different kinds of people here, and I attribute the diverse population of students to the incredible self-growth that I have experienced at school over the past two-and-a-half years. Without my interactions with people from other religions, sexual orientations, races and economic classes, I would not have learned about myself and this world to the extent that I have. I am truly grateful for these experiences!
The Honors Program at DePaul... is my family. I met my best friends the day before classes began on my way to Honors orientation during my first year. I became more and more involved with the Honors Student Government over the years and now I am the president. The Honors Program is a wonderful institution that promotes an incredibly broad spectrum of educational values. I feel like my education is very multi-faceted. I have more personal connections with teachers, more discussion-based classes and a family here on campus to call my own. It is truly the main reason I came to DePaul.
The best thing about DePaul is... the students. I have learned first-hand that DePaul’s students are some of the best in the city. Through service and activism, I see DePaul students changing more of the world every day than I had seen in my 18 years prior to coming to college. The level of involvement and the sense of personal responsibility are so important to us. This is our school, or community, our city, our planet — and DePaul students will never stop fighting for them. We truly live the Vincentian mission everyday!
What I remember most about my first quarter at DePaul is... the people above all else. I remember feeling like I had a blank slate to begin writing on. I met new friends and became so incredibly close with them. They were my new family and they taught me so many new things about this world. I cherish those memories so much, and even though things have changed a lot since then, learning how to meet and cope with new people is such an important skill that I will have for the rest of my life.
My greatest success as a student here has been... that I recently became the director of public relations for I’L Pledge, a T-shirt initiative to legalize civil unions in Illinois. We have had much success in starting discussions and raising awareness about the serious social justice issues that are involved with legalizing civil unions and same-sex marriage. Through a lot of letter writing, we can convince our state government that everyone deserves equal protection under the law. We are almost there!
After graduation, I plan to... continue the learning experience. I have many goals to accomplish in my life. I want to find success through my writing, whether it’s through screenwriting or more journalistic approaches. I want to continue to be involved with the world of theater, since that was my life before college. I want to become more involved with politics and do something to change this world that many people have seemed to abandon. In more practical terms, I want to use this education to make a difference, yet never stop the learning. I just need to find a job that will pay for graduate school!
The one thing I’d like to say to students considering DePaul... I would tell all prospective students to come visit. I chaired the ambassadors club for the Honors Program last year and through first-hand experience, I can say that a campus visit is very important. Going to school in an urban environment is very different from going anywhere else in the country. Involvement is very crucial , and the opportunities that are available in regards to school groups, activities, internships, job opportunities and networking are endless. We are so lucky, the city of Chicago is our campus!
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