By Kim Rabb, Guest Column

Life is full of unexpected surprises. With school beginning and many young American children of all cultures and backgrounds returning to school, it is unlikely that many of them ever foresee that they will end up doing what their father did. That was me, as a senior at Albert Lea High School graduating in 1978.

Like many of my friends, I went to Mankato State University not realizing the importance of my father going there, my great-uncle and my grandmother. All of them went there to become a teacher (yet my dad by default of not knowing what else to do), I went there to become a social worker. Determined, that is just what I did.

Graduating in 1982, I began my social work career focusing on senior citizens, primarily concentrating on working with the seniors in the nursing homes or those who needed home health care, hospice and most recently working with seniors in an assisted-living environment.

During this time, I went onto school at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul to obtain my master in business communications, which was completed in 1999 and led me to more corporate, administrative jobs in the health care industry.

What happened that made me take a sudden turn in my nicely planned path? I married a colonel in the Army. Lt. Col. David Rabb and I wed in 2005. He and I lived in a loft we purchased in Minneapolis. Our goals changed as our children from previous marriages grew and matured, which led him from a reservist to a full-time active duty soldier working with those soldiers suffering from polytruama injuries coming back from Iraq and the Middle East.

Lo and behold, I had to tell my parents. Henry and Janice Guse of Albert Lea, that we were moving near Palo Alto, Calif., for David to work at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center there. They were supportive of our decision, as were our children.

That left me excited for a new beginning and life but also at age 46 wondering, &8220;What do I really want to do with the rest of my life?&8221;

One night shortly, after getting to California, we met friends from Minnesota for dinner in San Francisco. My girlfriend and her husband, who are teachers in Minneapolis, said to me, &8220;Why don&8217;t you become a substitute teacher?&8221;

I exclaimed, &8220;Can I do that in California without a teaching degree?&8221;

My friends said, &8220;It&8217;s just like Minnesota, you can do it having a four-year degree. Teachers are badly needed.&8221;

With that excitement, I went on the computer and looked up the Department of Education in San Mateo, Calif. I received the necessary information to continue my pursuit.

Ironically, one day after starting my research and contacts with the school district here, I was unpacking and I ran across and article about my dad written in 1998. The title, &8220;Substitute says kids keep him going.&8221; I read the article with amazement thinking, &8220;This is about my dad &8212; and here over 10 years later he is still a substitute teacher in Albert Lea, Minnesota! He must really love teaching!&8221;

He doesn&8217;t realize I&8217;m writing this guest column in the Albert Lea Tribune; however I wanted to give encouragement not only to the students returning to school thinking of their long-term career choice but also in obtaining goals that may continue to change throughout life and what those experiences bring to each individual student. I had lived the corporate life, and traveled; however, I never wanted to be a millionaire but could have gone to the top several times.

When I realized out of all of the careers I would like to pursue now in my mid-life, I never would have dreamed I would be following in my father&8217;s footsteps. I am proud to be part of having and instrumental part of a child&8217;s life and the challenge of making a positive contribution in their school day. Yet along with that, words can&8217;t describe how proud I am to be following in the road of my dad.

It&8217;s something I thought I would never do; however, I am extremely proud to be writing to the Albert Lea Tribune that I am living a career that 30 years ago I never dreamed I would be doing. Shoot for the stars, and we will be among them. Like my father said, &8220;There are no limits on what you can do once you set your mind to it.&8221;

Those footprints have made an impact on my life.

Kim Rabb, 48, lives in San Mateo, Calif. She graduated from Albert Lea High School as Kim Guse in 1978.