Hi!
My name is Jessica Serber and I’m a fourth-year Global and International
Studies major and Professional Writing minor at UCSB. I will be
graduating this June and couldn’t be more nervous about what next year has in
store for me. But, after months of stressing about what my future will
look like, I realized that I need to stop worrying and be excited about my
post-graduation life. While the transition may not be easy, there are so
many new adventures I have to look forward to!
When
I first began thinking about what I wanted to do after graduation, I didn’t
even know where to begin. How was I supposed to choose between all the
opportunities and experiences the world has to offer?! I started by
paying closer attention to e-mails I was receiving from the Global Studies
department and Career Services. Many times, they include information
about career-related workshops or fairs and links to websites about
post-university programs ranging from graduate school to volunteering
abroad. As I read more and more of these e-mails, I realized that there
were many things I found interesting and could see myself doing.
In
addition, I began thinking about how I could use the knowledge, awareness, and
compassion I’ve gained from being a Global Studies major to take that step out
of college and into the professional world. I truly feel that my major
opened my eyes to new possibilities that I never imagined existed. From
learning about the United
States as well as many other countries and
their cultures, I’ve become thoroughly interested in humanitarian issues and
working with the worlds less fortunate citizens.
Thanks
to all those e-mails I’ve been reading, I now know that there are tons of ways
in which I can turn my passions into a job for next year. My options are
endless and include everything from volunteering abroad, to becoming a corps
member for Teach for America,
to acquiring an internship or job. Over the past few months, I’ve devoted a
great deal of time to applying for Teach for America.
Teach
for America is dedicated to
eliminating the educational inequality that exists within the United States.
The program places mostly recent college graduates in low-income schools with
the hopes of helping students achieve at higher levels. The great thing
for many applicants is that no teaching credentials or education degree is
required, only the willingness to participate in a summer institute where you
will be professionally trained to become a successful teacher.
Teach
for America
has already had a huge impact in the lives of thousands of students and
continues to thrive each year! Because of my desire to engage in work
that helps the world become a better place, I have spent many hours researching
about and preparing for Teach for America’s demanding interview
process in hopes of becoming a corps member.
Teach
for America
is just one of many amazing opportunities out there for recent college
graduates. For now, all I can do now is to continue exploring and
researching all of my options until I come across something that’s really right
for me. Although graduating college and moving into the “real world” is
undoubtedly an intimidating feat, it is also extremely exciting.
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