On Fridays this summer, the Daniels Newsroom is telling the stories of the behind-the-scenes staff who empower students, faculty and the College at large. Read past stories on our blog.
Kevin Forslund has been everywhere, man.
High school and college in Colorado. A study abroad year in Spain that turned into a postgrad teaching job in Barcelona. A quick stop as a paralegal back in Denver. A return abroad, this time to Shanghai, China, for five years to teach English. Back to Denver for another quick stint as a paralegal, and as an ESL teacher and tutor at Community College of Denver and Red Rocks Community College.
Then a pivot led him to University of Bath in the U.K. for a master’s degree in international education. The COVID-19 pandemic brought him back stateside, this time to his wife’s home of Connecticut, where he’d spend the next two years. He’d land back in Denver in 2021, arriving at the University of Denver in a role with International Student and Scholar Services. That would evolve into a role at the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs and ultimately bring him to the Daniels College of Business in 2025.
Pretty straightforward, right?
It’s these experiences that Forslund leans on every single day in his role as an assistant director of student engagement and advising. He can relate to the students he advises, as he’s balanced a class schedule to study abroad or gone to college in another country. He knows what it feels like to struggle and not fit in immediately. His dimly lit office is a refuge.
“I’ve been an international student three times over in three different countries. So I always tell international students straight up: ‘I have a pretty good idea of what you’re going through. Lean on me. Bring your questions, bring your tears, your dreams, everything,’” he said. “You hear their doubts, you hear their worries, their concerns. You work with them through that. They build their agency. They find their place.”
Forslund knows what the highest highs and lowest lows can feel like at school. He was a student at Columbine High School during the 1999 shooting. He thinks it’s a major reason he values community and camaraderie so fiercely.
“Being a part of a community, being together through thick and thin, I think it’s where my heart is and it will stay,” he said. “We’re more powerful when we’re in it together.”
Lessons From Travel
Forslund’s love for travel, adventure and learning was fostered early in his life, thanks in large part to his mom. When he was 11, his family traveled to China, where the seed was immediately planted. Forslund loved being in a new place, seeing and trying things and leaning into his own heritage (he’s half Chinese).
“I thank my mom for the rest of my life [for] getting me that travel bug early. Go out there, be independent, be adventurous, try new things and really embrace people from all walks of life,” he said.
He would take that mantra with him throughout the rest of his academic and professional career, never shying from an opportunity to go abroad or see something new. It even spawned a side project running a YouTube channel with his longtime friend, Chad, where they help people “travel better” and maximize the vacation experience. He’s waiting for an opportunity to return to China with his own children, ages 4 and 8, so they can feel what he did when he was a kid.
At Daniels, Forslund is responsible for advising graduate students in real estate, marketing, business analytics and finance. This includes pre-arrival advising for international students, connecting students with resources across DU, getting them into the correct courses and ensuring they’re making academic progress.
“It’s kind of ironic that I am now an advisor because I never [used one]. I could have utilized it way more. And I tell that to my students: There’s no shame in asking for help. Use it. You’re here. We want to make the most of it,” he said, adding that he’s almost like a big brother or uncle to his advisees.
His favorite moment at Daniels is the quarterly Academic Hood ceremony, where he gets to watch grad students he worked with cross the stage and cap off their Daniels journey.
“It feels like when they’re putting on that hood, it’s like raising the trophy, right?” he said. “It gives me goosebumps.”