Karis Fisher (24) is a PLNU alumna with a B.S. in Information Systems (I.S.) and Minor in Spanish and is now working as a systems administrator for the Information Technology (IT) department on campus. Through her experiences, Fisher has trusted God’s calling each step of the way.
Fisher grew up all over the world, living in four different countries as a missionary kid. Fisher was born in and lived in Denver, Colorado until she was 2 years old, when her family moved to Melbourne, Australia. At age 8, they moved to the island of Singapore before moving to Quito, Ecuador when Fisher was 12. Before starting high school, Fisher and her family returned to the U.S. and settled in Phoenix, Arizona. These multicultural experiences would later help her to explore her calling in unique ways and thrive in the PLNU community.
During high school, Fisher took a coding class which sparked her interest in computer science and cybersecurity, but she knew she wanted more than just the technology aspect of coding.
When Fisher was making college decisions, she knew that she wanted to go to a smaller university where she could explore her faith. Because her parents were PLNU alums and she had attended the Elev8 summer camp on campus, Fisher knew that it would be a great place for her.
Fisher saw that the Information Systems B.S. was listed under the business and computer science departments at PLNU, so she contacted IT professor Mike Leih, Ph.D., who gave her more details about the program.
“I contacted one of the professors, Mike Leih, and we had a 30 minute conversation — which was so cool that he took time out of his day to talk with me when I was a senior in high school,” Fisher said.
Fisher started college during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, making it difficult to form connections with other students. She lived alone in the Nease West dorm during freshman year, attended Zoom classes, and generally couldn’t be around others during her first semester.
Fortunately, a lot of the social distancing regulations were relaxed during the second semester, so Fisher was able to join different organizations on campus. Fisher was able to join the intramural volleyball team and concert choir; along with this, she also attended Point Poets Society, a book club at PLNU.
“I joined the choir, and I had a really good experience there,” she said. “I met a lot of cool people, which I also think helped with my overall experience here: getting involved, meeting people, and making lifelong friendships.”
“I met a lot of cool people, which I also think helped with my overall experience here: getting involved, meeting people, and making lifelong friendships.”
Because I.S. is a relatively small major, Fisher’s class sizes consisted of only around 24 people, and she was able to make connections with professors on a personal level, making her academic experience very positive.
The Information Systems B.S. incorporates both business administration and computer science. Fisher took classes like accounting, finance, and international business along with programming and data analysis. It is a broad major which means that there are lots of opportunities for post-graduate jobs, something that was scary for Fisher because she was not sure about what career path she wanted to follow.
Juggling an intensive major and minor is not an easy task, but Fisher took the challenge head-on. Fisher declared a Spanish minor during her sophomore year and was able to have the minor completed by her first semester of senior year. Because I.S. is a rigorous major, having a break from those classes was something that Fisher was looking for, and her background living in a Spanish-speaking country definitely helped.
“Because I lived in Ecuador, I already had a good grasp of Spanish,” she said, “so I was able to test out of a few Spanish classes which helped out a lot. I really enjoyed having a break from my major classes to take some fun classes; I really enjoyed Spanish.”
Luckily for Fisher, Corey Fling, the Chief Information Officer of PLNU, attends Mission Church of the Nazarene, the same church as Fisher. This church was having a special service for the graduating high school and college seniors. Fisher and the other graduates went up on stage to share what they planned to do after graduation, and Fisher said that she was studying I.S. Fling approached Fisher about the job posting at this service, and everything lined up perfectly afterward. He sent her the job posting, and Fisher was hired just two weeks later.
“It was honestly such a blessing, and I consider it a God thing that everything just seemed to line up perfectly going into graduation,” she said. “I had no job and no idea what I wanted to do. Then, two and a half weeks later, I had a job and could stay in San Diego.”
Fisher has many different responsibilities as the systems administrator for the IT department. These responsibilities include managing and maintaining the IT infrastructure, making sure the servers and networks are running smoothly, and updating and patching security risks. Fisher also serves as a Google Workspace and phone administrator meaning that she manages the email security and digital ID system.
“It was honestly such a blessing, and I consider it a God thing that everything just seemed to line up perfectly going into graduation. I had no job and no idea what I wanted to do. Then, two and a half weeks later, I had a job and could stay in San Diego.”
The IT management team is very focused on professional development, encouraging the staff to take classes and complete certifications in order to further develop their skills. This is just one aspect of the job that Fisher appreciates because it is laying good technical groundwork for her future career.
Fisher encourages current and future I.S. students to embrace the flexibility and broad nature of the degree. She especially encourages students to look into internships that give practical experience and connect with professors and professionals in the field.
“My advice would be to embrace the flexibility that the major gives you,” she said. “I would look into internships that give you practical experience and help you figure out what you do and don’t enjoy…I wouldn’t be afraid to speak to different professionals in the field you are interested in. You don’t have to have all the answers at graduation because God knows I didn’t. Your career path will definitely become more clear as you get more experience.”
