Another semester has come to an end and yet another group of undergraduate students are reminiscing on the good times at Salisbury University while taking one step closer to their future goals and dreams.
Members of the graduating class of SU 2019 have high hopes for their futures post-graduation — the ceremony being held at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center May 23.
Senior Ryan Hale, a communications – media production major, looked back on his last few semesters at SU and highlighted his both his eagerness and fears that come with leaving college.
“I am both excited and not excited [for graduation]," Hale said. "I feel like this year, I have gotten more involved with things on campus. It’s sad to leave all my friends. But also, I want to start my life and get a job.”
Hale hopes to apply what he's learned at SU to something possibly sports related.
“I‘m really into sports, so I’d like to do something in sports," Hale said. "I am more of a behind-the-camera guy than in front of the camera. Maybe later down the road, I’d like to get something into directing.”
Many of the students already know what they want to do after they graduate from SU. Some of them already have a job lined up or just an exact idea of what they want to do.
Graduating senior and interdisciplinary studies major John Boyd has a full-time position waiting for him at AT&T in its corporate and business sales department. After graduation, Boyd will be heading to Dallas, Texas for the training required for the position.
Boyd accredits much of his success to SU's internship program.
“Through the internship program, they helped show us other ways we can go in to working full time with the company after we graduated,” Boyd said. “They had a lot of different tracks you can do, and the one that was most suited to me would be their sales, since that was the class I liked doing anyways, so I was able to apply after my second summer as an intern.”
While many SU students do have a set goal for themselves, some have a more open-minded view to their possible future occupations.
Political science major and double minor in communications and French Nadia Williams hopes to one day be an editor of a prominent newspaper.
“I tend to not limit myself and not just see myself in one position my entire life because there are many things that I can do with what I’m studying,” Williams said.
These students feel as though they have been able to add more skills under their belt since attending SU. In some cases, the classes have been able to help students get to the point where they are right now, but the different clubs and organizations they participated in during the semester have benefited them way more than a class could.
“Me becoming a professional had everything to do with my extracurricular activities,” Williams said.
The different activities were able to give students the ability to learn what they need within their career field.
Like Williams, Hale agreed that SU's many options to clubs and organizations helped to move him toward his goals.
“I think that me coming to Salisbury has helped me learn what I want to do with my life. It has helped me better myself,” Hale said.
Some students will be staying in the Salisbury area after they graduate, some will be going back home to where they are from, and some will be adventuring to completely new destinations.
“I plan on staying here one to two years. Once I get money, then I am going to move over the [Bay] bridge,” Hale said.
Throughout a college career, students may change their desires or end goals based on their experiences.
In her first years at SU, Williams thought she had to have it all figured out. But with time, she found that taking things day by day was the best plan of action for her.
“When I first got to school, I thought as soon as I graduate from undergrad, I needed to go start grad school," Williams said. "The great thing I learned is that a lot of times people go to grad school rushingly, to the point that they don’t have the experience to even prosper in grad school, so working is also so important.” Williams said.
Williams plans to apply for graduate school in 2020.
By SYLLIA NEWSTEAD
Staff writer
Featured photos: Syllia Newstead, Ryan Hale and Nadia Williams images.