John Krueger Alumni Profile

2016 Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) alumnus John Krueger is a U.S. Army veteran who first considered going to Texas Tech University when his duty stations included bases in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and North Texas. His life path led him to begin a policing career in 1997.

He has since held various assignments as a patrolman, detective, sergeant, and lieutenant, with field certifications for a career in policing. Once John was married with young children, he says he began to feel a pull to serve younger adults in his home church. Before long, John took over as coordinator of his home church's young adult ministry program.

John decided he wanted to expand on his bachelor's degree in psychology and returned to graduate school as a working adult, earning a master's degree in psychology from Angelo State. John was determined to further pursue the human impact side of his career and journeyed to Lubbock to complete a master's degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Texas Tech University, with a specific emphasis on adult psychosocial development.

"The entire HDFS application, coursework, and master's defense process was extremely smooth," John said. "There was always someone to help along the way. I have studied at other institutions, and never found the process or experience as friendly and well-designed as it was at Texas Tech."

At the end of his graduate studies, John was immediately hired by San Jacinto College District as an Adjunct Psychology Professor, teaching general psychology and lifespan/developmental psychology.

"I sincerely believe my connection to the Texas Tech system carried a great deal of weight when applying for a part-time professor position. Now, I get the privilege of helping young adults in both spiritual and academic capacities."

John explains that his police and military background taught him to incorporate living a structured life, an aspect that greatly helped him in graduate school.

"When teaching, my experiences in these areas naturally add to the lectures and conversations, as we talk about many of the facets of life which I have either experienced personally or have helped others through."

Thanks to the flexibility of the HDFS graduate program, John says he was able to explore family, socioeconomic, and demographic factors to better understand the developmental stages of humanity.

"I believe it is only after understanding others unique situations that we can truly help. Texas Tech's HDFS program opens your eyes to the struggles of others and shows you pathways to improve the human condition–one person at a time."

John's future plans consist of providing free services to help strengthen local families and counseling young adults as well as continuing a role in teaching psychology.

"To be able to teach the exact subject(s) you studied so passionately during graduate pursuits, and help others along the way, is extremely rewarding. God gives each and every one of us a unique set of gifts," John said. "It then becomes our responsibility to develop and refine those gifts in a way which serves others."