Gannon University’s December commencement ceremony is quickly approaching, and some soon-to-be alumni say they’re looking forward to the road ahead.
Many students have become weary of graduating in recent years because of the state of America’s job market. One December graduate, senior early childhood and special education major Dominique Graves, said she isn’t necessarily concerned about it because she hasn’t started looking for jobs yet.
Graves said she will be graduating a semester late, but is glad she waited. “I got more experience in my field to become a better teacher,” she said.
Meanwhile, another soon-to-be alumnae, senior legal studies major Veronica Mummey, said she has started networking with an old supervisor so she can get her name out there to other employers in her hometown.
She said she is graduating in December because her credits didn’t transfer the way she expected, so she ended up staying an extra semester. Mummey said she isn’t looking forward to leaving her friends behind in a few weeks to return home.
“It’s weird leaving halfway through the year,” she said, “because everyone else has the mindset of ‘I’ll see you after break,’ but they won’t.”
Graves said she’s a little nervous about not returning to Gannon in January. “It is scary because now I have to go into the real world.”
Though she said she is slightly weary, Graves said she enjoyed her experience at Gannon. “It’s been a long and rewarding journey, but I am going to miss my teachers that taught me so much,” she said. “I will take what they gave me and use it every day of my life.”
Mummey also said she is going to miss Gannon, particularly because of the friends she made during her time at the university. “It’s harder to leave because not all of your friends are graduating with you or leaving when you are.”
She said she is looking forward to her winter graduation, though, because she thinks the December commencement ceremony is more personal.
Though the students have mixaed feelings about graduating into the real world, they both said they have enjoyed their time at Gannon and are looking forward to a bright future.
