20something profile: Debbi

This post was written by Debbi, a Disney employee who met her hero John Lasseter:

“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” ­– Walt Disney

Most would say that I currently have a dream job: I work at Disneyland Resort, The Happiest Place on Earth, as a Park Event Sales Coordinator.

However, more on that to come. I graduated from UC Santa Barbara in June 2011 in three years because I wanted to finish my major (communication) and begin working as soon as possible. My last year of college was one of the best in my life to date — I networked, established wonderful friendships, road tripped, attended fun events, held over 10 different internships, joined many campus organizations, and really put myself out there. Best of all, I secured a job with The Walt Disney Company three months before graduation.

20something profile: Lauren

This post was written by Lauren, who moved to a new city after graduating:

I can’t believe it’s already been nearly two years since I’ve graduated. I always thought I’d have my life — or at least my career — figured out at this point. But, like so many other graduates, I still have no idea what my future will hold.

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in May of 2011 with a degree in English. After graduation, my boyfriend of two years had plans of going to graduate school and wanted me to move with him.

While at first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be “that girl” who just followed her boyfriend around, I eventually warmed up to the idea of moving to a new city with him. That way, even if I struggled to find work, at least I would be somewhere different with someone I loved.

20something profile: G.E. Gallas

This post was written by G.E. Gallas, a screenwriter and graphic novelist:

For as long as I can remember, I have been telling stories through words and images. As a child, I spent hours and hours drawing, creating original characters and worlds. Eventually, my passion for stories inspired me to write my own graphic novels and screenplays.

I am a graduate (2011) of New York University: Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where I created my own major: a cross-cultural study of storytelling within film, literature, etc. In all my creative endeavors, I adapt this interdisciplinary approach, pursuing my diverse interests with in-depth research and imagination.

20something profile: Christine

I always knew I wanted to be a novelist. Fortunately, I am fairly practical and realized that announcing to the world, “I wrote a book” was not enough to generate a paycheck, no matter how many people I told. In other words, I needed a day job. So, I went to college, where I found myself, made meaningful connections, broadened my mind and all that rot you tell people. All kidding aside, I loved it.

In 2011 I graduated from Franklin & Marshall College with a BA in English Literature, a field that ninety-eight percent of the science majors were more than happy to assure me would prove useless. The remaining two percent were my friends, and while I’m sure they thought my major was useless, they insisted that it wasn’t. 

20something profile: Meaghan

I graduated from Ithaca College in May 2011. I majored in English and minored in Integrative Health Studies. Ideally, what I’d like to do is to be involved in Integrative/Holistic Healthcare, which includes modalities such as Acupuncture, Nutrition, Chiropractic Care, Reiki, Herbal Medicine, etc.

I’m still figuring out if I’d like to be a Practitioner of a Holistic Modality working directly with patients as a Doctor/Therapist, etc., and if so, what modality I’d choose to study and practice. I’m also interested in the writing and research aspect of Holistic healthcare: questioning and researching the safety and efficacy of alternative therapies, as well as how they can be integrated into/with allopathic healthcare.

20something profile: Jon

I graduated in 2011 from Vassar College with degrees in Political Science and Film. After four years, fifty all-nighters, and enough coffee to fill an Olympic swimming pool, I had a single sheet of laminated paper inscribed with Latin and masonic symbology. I could explain the difference between Baudrillard and Jameson’s views on postmodern aesthetics, but I couldn’t grill a chicken breast without giving myself food poisoning (true story). 

For three months after graduating, I interned at a small documentary company in Brooklyn. Hoping to break into the world of non-fiction filmmaking, I was racking up a credit card bill, commuting for two hours each way from home in Rockland County, doing almost any side project that would pay, and quite a few that didn’t. I had already done seven internships by the time I started senior year and was feeling heavily disillusioned about my job prospects.

20something profile: Jesse

University Hall and its modern bell tower, an icon of MSU (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I graduated from Montclair State University in 2011 with a major in Political Science and a minor in Public Administration. I feel that the transition from college into the real world is tough—it is tougher than the transition from high school to dorming at college your freshman year.  In college, your world is your college campus; when you transition into the real world, you are competing and living with everyone. The competition for jobs, for example, is tougher.

After college, I continued to work at my school’s student recreation center until the fall semester; then I thought it was time to move on. While working at the Rec Center, I was also working on a political campaign on the weekends. After I left the Rec Center in the middle of September, I worked on the campaign three days during the week and during the weekends until it ended; I also helped clean up the campaign office after the campaign was over.