By Katherine Sullivan, Staff Writer
With less than two weeks left as undergraduate students at Newman University, seniors are now facing their futures.
Some say they have plans to further their education. Others will be joining the workforce.
The Vantage asked a few graduating seniors to share what was next for them.
Caleb Limes, an accounting major, plans to both further his education and work a full time job.
“I plan on getting my master’s and working,” Limes said. “I was offered a full-time role at Koch Industries, where I will work for Koch Global Services.”
Fellow accounting major Max Bajza will also be working for Koch Industries.
“After I graduate, I will be working as an accountant at Flint Hills Resources, which is a subsidiary of Koch Industries,” Bajza said.
While some graduating seniors will begin working soon after graduation, many others say they will begin graduate programs to obtain the degrees needed to start their careers.
TaTy’Terria Gary is one of these graduates. As a biology major with a concentration in genetic counseling, Gary must attend graduate school in order to start working in her field, and she’s headed to Massachusetts.
“I enjoy social and natural science and wanted a career that incorporates both to help produce a more holistic approach to health care,” Gary said. “I will attend graduate school at Bay Path University for genetic counseling.”
In the spring of 2022, psychology major Mireya Saldana will begin graduate school. In the meantime, Saldana will officially move to Wichita and work part-time. Saldana will be studying sports psychology after being inspired by her own personal experience partially tearing her meniscus during a women’s basketball practice in October 2017
“I originally wanted to become a nutritionist,” Saldana said. “After my injury freshman year, I knew that I wanted to help other athletes through their rehab and that’s what pushed me towards psychology.”
Similar to Saldana, Macy Rice will be making a major move prior to beginning her further education. Following graduation, Rice will be moving to Georgia, where she plans to attend law school after getting settled. Also like Saldana, Rice found a passion for her major during her time at Newman.
“I was originally a business management major, but I discovered I really liked to code,” Rice said. “I also learned that I’m interested in the intelligence analyst field, which I had never considered before coming to Newman.”
The seniors also shared a few lessons they learned while at Newman.
“My favorite thing I learned at Newman was how to multitask by keeping my grades up while having to practice and travel to games, as well as doing anything that I needed for my extracurriculars,” Saldana said.
Gary said that her favorite lessons were about the importance of servant leadership and stewardship, and Limes shared a few key pieces of advice.
“I learned a couple of big life lessons,” Limes said. “Community is where it is at. Work for what you want. You should say, ‘Why not?’ to every opportunity and challenge that confronts you.”
PHOTO: Courtesy Photo, Unplash
