What do you do after spending four years as an infantryman in the U.S. Marine Corps? When Kristian Que was discharged, he signed up for four years in the Army National Guard armored cavalry. So much for hard-earned rest. But Que is always up for a challenge, taking the difficult path when he can because it鈥檚 the difficult path.
A single father of two, Que moved to the United States from the Philippines at the age of 7. He graduated from Lee Business School in December with dual degrees in economics and marketing.
He earned those degrees with help from the Lee Scholars program.
鈥淲ith my savings dwindling and my GI Bill nearly exhausted, the Lee Scholars program gave me the means to achieve my goals without having to choose between graduating or dropping out to provide for my family,鈥 he said. But he had to face a lot of challenges head-on to get to where he is today.
After the Military
After his military service, Que entered the IT sector. But as he quickly rose up the ranks, he realized that he would need an academic degree to make further headway. So it was time to go back to school.
鈥淭hat first semester, I was at the math department every day for tutoring,鈥 he said. It paid off. He got a 99 percent for his final grade. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 get good grades because I鈥檓 smart,鈥 he laughed. 鈥淚 get them because I鈥檓 persistent. If I鈥檓 not a natural at something, I鈥檒l work harder. So right then, I decided to dual major, adding in marketing, which is on the more qualitative end of the business spectrum.鈥
These challenges have driven Que to great accomplishments. He received the Lee Scholarship two years in a row, an experience he says you can鈥檛 put a price on. Last year, Que, along with colleague Katelyn O鈥橦ara, presented at 性视界传媒鈥檚 Undergraduate Research Forum. With data generated from multiple disciplines 鈥 political science and history, among others 鈥 they used an economics model to determine the probability of a presidential assassination attempt.
鈥淚t was tough because, for instance, one variable was: Is there a war going on? Well, how do you define 鈥榳ar鈥? But I wanted to show the versatility of economic formulas outside of economics,鈥 he said.
And he succeeded. The unique topic and unorthodox application of economic models won a cash prize 鈥 which Que unflinchingly donated back to the Lee Business School.
鈥溞允咏绱 has given me so many opportunities, I decided that I could give back as a way to show my gratitude,鈥 he explained. 鈥淚f it weren鈥檛 for the help and all of the opportunities I鈥檇 received, I wouldn鈥檛 have been in the position where I could compete at all.鈥
鈥淲hen there鈥檚 no struggle, when there鈥檚 no obstacle, you鈥檙e not really growing or improving as a person. I like that process, so I apply it to every facet of my life.鈥
