Alexandra Shiu has a lot of interests. The native of Spring, Texas came to Baylor right after high school looking for direction. "When I came to visit," she says, "I met with a lot of people - music, education, pre-med. Everyone was very nice, and I knew the programs were very good. It was a really easy decision. I knew Baylor would help me find what I needed."

During her undergraduate career Alex found an interest she did not anticipate. "I was taking a lot of science courses, and I just wanted something different," she says. "I just picked business. I thought it would be useful to know, so I took an economics course."

From then on, Alex was hooked. "My first class was so interesting," she says. "Economics is the perfect field for people interested in social science. It really is a science of how people behave." /

That one class led to a Master's degree from Baylor, and once again Alex was at a crossroads. She knew that McLennan County College needed adjunct economics professors, and Alex soon discovered that she loved teaching. Not only that, Alex knew she wanted to know more about education. "I knew that I wanted to be in higher education," Alex explains. "I thought I needed more information about how to teach adults, and I had a friend in the Educational Psychology doctoral program. It sounded like the perfect fit for my needs."

Alex arranged to meet with Susan Johnsen, the graduate program director and discovered that they had similar research interests. "The program at Baylor just seemed like a really great opportunity for me," Alex says. "I had a chance to think hard about how people learn and what role culture plays in it, and I got to work closely with one of the outstanding academics in the field."

Alex now works full-time at McLennan County as an instructor. She teaches an array of economics courses on campus and dual credit students in high schools. Alex also works in the Honor's College Great Works program. "We each pick one great work that we go through," Alex explains. This year Alex and her students will explore The Myth of the Rational Voter by Bryan Caplan. "Getting to work with honor's students, you know, I feel like I have one shot to get them to love economics," Alex says.

When not teaching, Alex serves as the managing editor for Gifted Child Today, an academic journal providing information for parents and teacher of gifted students. Not surprisingly, Alex finds herself working closely again with Susan Johnsen. "She's been a model mentor," Alex says. "I am amazed at the quantity and quality of her scholarship."