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Ursula Fagerstrom, BJ '92, with her husband Eric.

What do you do?
After working at a newspaper for almost 10 years, I decided to go back to school for my master's degree in teaching. I taught language arts for 9th and 11th grade students at Lingbergh High School in Renton, Wash., until 2004. Then I moved to Florida, survived two major hurricanes and got married on Nov. 6, 2004. I plan to stay home and raise our family.

What characteristics do you think are important for success?
I think what I bring to the mix is a joyful, enthusiastic spirit, and I care deeply for those I work with. When I taught, I want my students to grow and develop into lifetime learners.

Best professional lesson learned at the J-School?
The best lesson I learned at the J-School would have to be how to deal with the public, especially in sticky situations. I was writing up an obituary and the deceased man was only 26, which of course, I noticed as odd. When I called one family member and the coroner, they said he had committed suicide. His mother contended that it was an accident. I went with the coroner and had an awful experience explaining it to the mother, but I learned how to stand my ground and rely on the facts, not emotions or perceptions of interview subjects. That is a lesson I have valued for years.

What would be your best advice to current students?
Write. Write. Write as much as you can. The more you write, the better you get. Also, don't rely solely on technology while doing an interview. Some students would check out during an interview because they were taping it. Stay engaged. Really listen to the person's story. You might just find out something fascinating.

What is the one thing you wish you had done?
I don't have any regrets. Maybe I would have taken more than one design class, because I worked as a designer for eight years!

What is something about you that may surprise people?
One thing that may be surprising is that I went into education after being so passionate about journalism. I am still passionate about my former profession, but now I enjoy sharing my love of words and interviews with future journalists.