After I graduated high school, in a very rural part of Georgia, my intent was to study psychology in college. Well, that quickly changed to studying “education and teaching,” which then changed to business, changed a few more times, and then went back to psychology. My associates degree ended up being general studies because I just could not decide on what “I wanted to be when I grew up.”
After my degree, I moved to Nebraska to be closer to my mother’s side of the family and to pursue a career in the customer service field as a waitress. Well, two years went by and no advancement opportunities came my way in that field. So I jumped at the opportunity to move to Houston, TX, and work for a smaller engineering/manufacturing firm that my sister had been working for.
I started out as an administrative assistant, and worked long hours because I wanted to learn everything about the manufacturing industry. After 3 months of working, the controller asked who wanted to attend an OSHA 30-Hour safety course. I was more than eager to go, and the rest is history. The safety side of business was a whole new world I didn’t even realize existed. I love the fact that I get to learn something new every day and I get to share that knowledge with others. Also, I ended up going back to school and have since graduated with my bachelor’s in environmental sciences. I finally found out what “I wanted to be when I grew up,” which is continuing to grow and learn in the QHSE field.
Christina M. Kellems
QHSE Coordinator
Sugar Land, TX
What’s your story?
Email us at [email protected] with the subject line “My Story.” You may be featured in an upcoming issue of Safety+Health.
