Graduating Into A Bright Future

By MEGHAN GRAHAM

Only one month of school left. Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday that I was moving into Virginia Hall and wondering how my roommate and I had gotten the smallest room in the whole building. But now I am a senior. And in one month, people will start having adult expectations of me. They’ll be asking me, “Where are you working?” and “What are you going to do with your life?” I will eventually have to give them some kind of answer.

I’m currently employed at CVS/Pharmacy, everyone’s number one choice for their prescription needs. Although it pays the bills, pharmacy technician is not my career path of choice. I have searched the wanted ads everywhere you can possibly imagine-Craigslist, Monster, the Free Lance-Star, and so far, it has been to no avail.

But we all know that the economy is in the tanker and that there is not exactly a surplus of available jobs. Especially in the event-planning field, which is my career of choice. Despite my failure thus far, I have not given up hope. I truly believe that Mary Washington has primed me for the job field and that I am ready to conquer the work force. With the help of the constructive criticism of many professors along the way, I have become a well-rounded, organized, and educated job candidate that would be an asset to any work team.

But it wasn’t all easy sailing. During my collegiate journey, I griped and groaned about taking four semesters of a foreign language and two of science. I whined about all of the literature classes required for the English major, and egad! having to write for the Bullet (just kidding). But now I realize, as I have come to the end of the road, that all of these classes have helped to shape me into the job candidate, and person, that I am today.

They allowed me to find out what I was good at (and really not), forced me to face my fears (speaking-intensive interpretative performance assignment here I come!), and really question things before taking them for granted. The liberal arts education definitely creates a well-rounded student. I took classes everywhere from music theory, to finite math, historic preservation and British literature.

And now I know that I will not be the next great scientist, or mathematician, but, hey, I might be the next David Tutera, and I have Mary Wash to thank for that. (Guys, if you don’t get that reference, it’s probably a good thing. Ask your girlfriend.)

Graduating from Mary Wash will be tough. I’ll be leaving behind my life as I’ve known it for the last four years, but I look forward to the adventures (and great job opportunities) that lie ahead of me outside of the college bubble.