Balsz, Gene

This interview was recorded via Zoom on July 19th, 2024 and it covers the following themes: 

b. 1968 

  • Move from Los Angeles to San Jose in eastern Graham County, Arizona in 1983. 

  • Rural life: high school athletics, agriculture, cars, hunting, horses. Studying auto repair. 

  • Spinal injury during a diving accident in 1988 becoming quadriplegic. Vocational rehabilitation program. 

  • Attending Eastern Arizona College in 1996 and studying information science. Changes in computers and the internet. 

  • Move to Tucson to attend University of Arizona in 1998 to study computer science. Contrasts between Tucson and Graham County. 

  • Using SunTran for mobility. 

  • Difficulty of UA Computer Science program. Completing program in 2002. 

  • Starting career as tutor and math teacher. 

  • Working at Pueblo High School starting in 2010. 

  • Rise of smartphones and impact upon students and learning. 

  • The value of math. 

  • Teaching remotely during the COVID-19 epidemic. 

  • Changes in Tucson Unified School District between 2010 and 2024. 

  • The growth of urban Tucson and increasing difficulty in accessing the outdoors. 

  • Changes in accessibility in Tucson and at the University of Arizona from 1988-2024.   

Aengus Anderson