Christopher Bordas is proof that with hard work and determination, anything is possible.
At 45, the South Florida resident is graduating with his bachelor’s degree in public service and public policy (homeland security and emergency management) and a minor in criminology and criminal justice through Arizona State University’s accelerated master’s program.
“The accelerated graduate degree program I am in was an unexpected benefit I never knew was a possibility before coming to ASU,” he said. “I went from thinking I'd never achieve a bachelor's degree to being on the fast track to a master's degree. This is a wonderful program and I am very grateful for it.”
Bordas’ path to higher education was anything but conventional. Raised by a single mom, he graduated high school at 16 and went straight to work to help support his family. College dreams were put on hold as life unfolded.
A 20-year-old Bordas joined the Army Reserves and eventually enrolled in college. He intended to use the GI Bill and student loan programs to fund his education, but a mix of administrative hurdles and deployments — including 18 months in Iraq — put his degree plans on the back burner.
Between military missions, Bordas spent the following years focusing on public safety and emergency response, including security contract work with Blackwater in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and five years at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad as a team leader on the emergency response team.
It wasn’t until recently that Bordas returned to college through a partnership between ASU and Uber. The program provides eligible Uber drivers, couriers and family members 100% tuition coverage to pursue an undergraduate degree through ASU Online.
“The Uber partnership with ASU is the only reason I could finally achieve a bachelor’s degree,” Bordas said. “I am still fighting with the Army to receive my GI Bill benefits. Uber and ASU made my degree possible.”
Bordas credits his military training with teaching him skills critical to his academic success. He likens pursuing a degree to completing a mission, requiring focus, planning and resilience to see it through.
That singular focus contributed to Bordas joining two honors societies while at ASU: Tau Sigma and Omicron Delta Kappa. He also joined the Emergency Management Student Association.
When he’s not studying, Bordas wears many hats as a security professional, gig economy worker, business owner, husband and father. For him, the hard work is worth it.
“My beautiful wife Heidi and my 10-year-old daughter Mia are the reasons I work so hard,” he said. “They’re my motivation to succeed.”
We spoke with Bordas about his experience with online learning and his plans after graduation.
Notes: Answers may have been edited lightly for length and/or clarity.
Question: What was your “aha” moment when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in?
Answer: I have always been driven to fight for and protect my fellow man. I chose homeland security and emergency management as my focus, with a minor in criminology, because the criminal justice field is broad. This degree path offers a versatile and focused field to combine with my resume.
Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU Online — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective?
A: There was an inclusion of left-leaning lessons and learning materials that caught me off guard. That being said, all information, lessons and materials must be presented to students. It is a university’s job to teach by providing all information from all sides and theories, and it is the student’s job to make up their own mind when presented with all the facts.
Q: Why did you choose ASU Online?
A: Uber made it possible, and ASU is a great school.
Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU Online?
A: Garth den Heyer taught me that physically fighting against terrorism does not guarantee you an A in terrorism studies classes.
My success coach Justin Miller is awesome and deserves recognition.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?
A: Make sure you have studied a degree path that has a future, that has value to the world, which you can use to support your family and showcase your brilliance. Ensure that your hard work and dedication, your debt and your sacrifices to earn a degree will get you a worthy career that will take you places, not a novelty or a fad that will leave you out in the cold.
Q: What was your favorite spot for power studying?
A: I do all of my schoolwork and studying from the office of my day job.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: I will immediately continue on to the graduate program. Once that is completed, I will begin seeking out better career options to better enable me to support my family.
Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?
A: The current state of humanity and the world has too many problems to count. Simply throwing money at anything usually results in more problems being added to the original problem, which remains unsolved. We must learn to think things through. I am a firm believer that people must confront evil or it continues to persist. I would take this $40 million and use it to privately fight and destroy human trafficking rings.
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