TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Thousands of undergrads are ready to move that tassel from right to left as they finish up their degrees here in Tucson. And the only thing left to really do is get the degree itself and move on to the next step, which one Wildcat who graduates today told me is more of the same; more communication through language and learning.
The energy on campus around graduation season isn't just something you see. You can feel it from the members of the student body eager to move on. You can hear it on the roads and as the bells echo across the mall.
Even the less-than-human members of this hustle and bustle have a twinkle in their digital eye suggesting good things are just around the corner for those who've hit the books hard.
But no two Wildcat stories are the same.
"My path to university was a little bit untraditional because originally I grew up in Virginia. I went to community college there and then I didn't really know how much further I want to go after that."
Rich Kline may look like the typical new graduate.
"So my major is in Russian and Slavic studies with an emphasis in the Russian language and then my minor is data and statistics," Rich told me.
Russian, Slavic studies and statistics. So what else kept him busy during his time in Tucson?
"I feel like I'm always kind of between two different worlds because within the field of wildland firefighting everyone's like 'oh you go to college and study Russian' and then here in college like 'you do wildland firefighting and you study Russian here' ... it's two very different worlds for me. But it's also what I really like about my experience"
Rich risked his own safety and the comforts of home to fight fires and it paid off in his work ethic and his outlook on life in general.
But his time on the fire lines wasn't enough.
He decided to properly learn the Russian language, he should go to Kazakhstan because, well, why not?
"I was in Kazakhstan for a full fall semester so that's about four or five months. I think my favorite phrase is Russian is до встречи! And so it means like 'see you later' or 'see ya' and it's a really nice, you know, friendly way to communicate with people that you know. They were just so surprised that coming from the U.S. I knew how to speak Russian and they were really interested to know where I had learned it from," Rich said.
Rich told me his mother's influence, she spoke three languages, encouraged him to look beyond his own reach here at the university level to prepare for more communication, more connection, and ultimately more understanding than a computer in a digital future could provide.
"It's not gonna be captured versus if you're actively translating for somebody or you're talking to somebody within their native language. You're capturing a lot of the things that make a human connection between you and I, which is the emotion to hear in the other person's voice."
Rich plans to continue work as a wildland firefighter and eventually study for a master's degree, possibly through the University of Arizona.
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Dan Spindle co-anchors Good Morning Tucson on KGUN 9 and is an award-winning storyteller whose work has earned him honors from the Rocky Mountain Southwest Emmys, the Associated Press and the Utah Society of Professional Journalists for both anchoring and reporting. Dan is passionate about history and loves to explore the Grand Canyon State. Share your story ideas with Dan by emailing dan.spindle@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or X.
