It is almost time for students to walk the stage and receive the affirming piece of paper that makes all the hard work worth it. Before that moment, many Texas A&M seniors are taking a moment of reflection and looking to the future.
Every path is different for college seniors — some will have jobs upon graduation while others may need a little extra time before jumping into the workforce. With almost four years of experience under their belts, seniors are not afraid to share what they have learned in their time in college, both through academics and real-world experiences.
Political science senior Rebecca Kirby said she feels a mixture of relief and nostalgia as her graduation date approaches.
“I’m going to miss being on campus and some of the people I’ve met,” Kirby said. “A lot of the professors really helped me grow and I really like the atmosphere of college. I’ll miss that for sure.”
Currently, Kirby said she is planning on using her political science degree in Austin to, hopefully, work her way up to larger political jobs, such as diplomacy.
“Right now, I’m going to be staying at home and looking to pay off some debt and get a job down in Austin where I’m from,” Kirby said. “I’ll probably pursue something in the private sector. There are a lot of opportunities around the city.”
One of the most valuable pieces of advice Kirby said she would give to students still at A&M is to join an organization.
“I joined an organization called Women Helping Out Other People, or WHOOP, senior year,” Kirby said. “It’s a really great service, I wish I had joined sooner because I only had two semesters, but I met some great friends.”
Computer engineering senior Andrew Hallack said he has a specific plan after graduation, including a job and apartment.
“I’m going to work for a company called Ericsson and do what’s called ASIC [Application-specific integrated circuit] design, which is a very small circuit design,” Hallack said. “It was actually quite easy to find cheap rent. Austin is known for being expensive, but the rent over there was about the same as Houston.”
Hallack said there were individual classes at A&M which helped prepare him for the job.
“We have a few classes that deal with that niche,” Hallack said. “You go down into the deepest parts of the computer and design those types of circuits and we’ve had classes and junior and sophomore year that deal with that.”
To current students at A&M, Hallack said he would suggest they never give up when things look challenging.
“When it gets hard, that’s probably the best time to stay diligent and stick to what you’re going to do,” Hallack said. “Most likely, it’s going to pass by, and you’re just going to laugh at it in the future.”
Mechanical engineering senior Amira Bushagour said she has a lot of plans for after she graduates, including a trip out of the country and pursuing her master’s in the fall.
“After I graduate this summer, I’m going to take a trip to France and just celebrate being done,” Bushagour said. “Next year, I’m actually coming back to A&M to pursue my master’s in mechanical engineering, with a Master of Science, specifically.”
In 10 years, Bushagour said she hopes to be working in some capacity as a sustainability adviser.
“I don’t plan on pursuing a Ph.D. at the moment, so I want to be a sustainability consultant or fill a sustainability position in the company,” Bushagour said. “Sustainability is really important to me, and I think that, especially with the direction that my master’s thesis is taking, that I will be able to hopefully work in those positions.”
Bushagour said it’s important for undergraduate students to make time for creating new friendships and keeping old ones.
“So far, my friendships have been the best part of college and the most memorable part,” Bushagour said. “I’m not gonna remember the group assignment that I stayed up till midnight doing, but I will remember, if I had a friend in that group, staying up till midnight with them.
“I think that my perspectives on life, community and values have changed really drastically throughout my undergrad. The wide array of people that I’ve been able to meet and interact with has really helped shape that widened perspective.”
