Wrapping Up and Moving On.

I can’t believe I graduate this Thursday! This past semester, as well as the past 7, have taught me so much about myself and what it takes to be successful in college. In these past 4 years of my undergrad, I’ve held down countless jobs, activities, and internships, and I must say it was all worth it. The majority of my enlightenment has come from the countless days I’ve spent going from one thing to another, juggling far too much than I probably should have. But now, as I stand at the cusp of college and the real world, I am so glad I did. I distinctly remember sitting in Professor Saewitz’s intro to Media class my sophomore year, where a guest speaker and previous student at Temple, encouraged us not to take the required internship, but take multiple. I never forgot this, and made it a goal of mine to have one every semester starting at the beginning of my junior year. I managed to fulfill my goal, and now as graduating Senior, it is almost time to say goodbye to my third and final internship.

This past semester I have spent my time split between interning at the constantly buzzing, and ultra-fulfilling startup known as Curalate. At this internship, I got the pleasure to designing under our lead Designer, Melissa, and assisting her with countless projects for client mockups, presentations, our blog, internal documents and our dashboard. It has taught me tons about design, and it was an excellent cherry to the sundae of my College career. Lucky for me, my time at Curalate is extended until I start my new post-grad job in July, so I don’t have to bid them adieu just yet!

It’s difficult to think that the life I have created here at Temple will so soon be over, but to those reading this I must encourage you to take advantage of every perk, opportunity, learning experience, and activity that comes to you while you are here. It goes so fast, so please seize every moment and opportunity that meets your path. This was something I made a point to do, participating on the University’s competitive cheerleading squad, designing for the Temple Newspaper, securing three internships and working awesome part-time jobs for Red Bull, Honest Tea and Drink Neuro. All of these opportunities would not have been possible if it weren’t for individuals I’ve met while studying at Temple, both professors and peers alike. If it weren’t for the thousands of experiences I’ve had these past four years, I would not be the person I am today, and for that I am truly grateful. Between interning and attending school this past semester, as any other graduating Senior, I had the stress of the almighty job search looming over my head the minute I registered for classes in the fall. For students soon to be in this boat, listen up – start early. Your final semester goes so quickly, so don’t hesitate to attend networking events, job fairs and portfolio reviews prematurely – this will give you a head up above your peers and expand your personal network. Doing these things was detrimental to securing my post-grad plans and boy am I glad I did! This July, I am so pleased to start my professional life working for PepsiCo International. My part-time job experience working in this industry bulked up my resume and allowed me the eligibility to work for such an esteemed fortune 500 company and I could not be happier. One of the most important things that Temple has taught me is that opportunities come to individuals willing to work for them. Our University is founded upon values that encourage its students to be individuals and be self-starters, and it is up to us to mold our own futures. As our recent re-branding so proudly states – Self Made, Philly Made, Temple Made. Internships and job experience are key components in combination with your undergraduate studies. If you do your best to do as much as possible while you’re in college, it will pay off! It sounds so strange to say that in two days I will be free of classes and assignments, and it truly makes me a bit scared. But as with any change in life, I know that better things are to come for me. I salute all of my fellow peers that will stand with me at commencement on Thursday, I can’t believe we did it!