Last Week of College: One Year Later

One year ago, yesterday, I stood on the steps of the University of Texas' tower, and poured out four years of memories through something slightly resembling a poem. It was in collaboration with some of the most inspirational theater artists I know -- fellow Theater and Dance seniors, on the last night of college as a conclusion to my Week of Spontaneous Moments of Theater.

As we emotionally thanked UT for what it had given us in the past few years, not many of us knew what would be next. There is no one I would rather share such an intimidating moment with. These friends that I had bonded with during classes, shows, parties, we were all heading into the scary unknown of adulthood together.

Two weeks later, we walked (or more like danced, strutted, and boogied, honestly) across Bass Concert Hall stage, and became official graduates of the University of Texas.

Here we are. One year later. Standing at the finish line of our first post-grad year. What a doozy it's been. Moving to new cities, finding new jobs, making new friends, and steadying our footing in this new world. Here's what that first year has been like, straight from the mouths of babes (and by babes I mean some of the seniors that took part in that last night of Spontaneous Moments of Theater week).

I, myself, spent the summer in Austin, performing in The Who's TOMMY at ZACH Theatre. It was my first professional show, and it was pretty damn cool. Just as the show was winding down, I started looking for my next step. I had interviews for an editorial fellowship with BuzzFeed LA and BuzzFeed NYC, when the dope CEO of DoSomething.org called me with a job offer as a Digital Content Associate. Um, duh. After two incredible summer in NYC with DoSomething.org, I knew it was a great way for me to achieve my dream of living in New York, and I already knew I liked the organization. I made the move and have spent the last seven months strategizing social media, learning the ropes of SEO, and writing tons of content. And it's been super challenging - finding and maintaining an apartment, learning about personal finances, and keeping my passion for theater ~alive~. It's been unpredictable, and if this first year has taught me anything, it is to roll with the punches.

"Post grad life is hard! This past year has been the end of an era marked by summers and GPA's, and trying to find myself outside of the student lifestyle has been a challenging, but rewarding experience. I've fallen more in love with art, artists, and artistry than ever before, and I now look back on my time in the department as prep for my artist's soul in the real world - on ehtat doesn't always encourage it to grow. Today, I'm probably most proud of how certain I am in my path as a writer. Choose to make and share art isn't an easy career choice - with all the rejection, criticism, and "I am a fraud" insecurities - but now it seems obvious to me as the only (crazy) career I'd ever be happy with."
-Alison Stoos

"I am most proud of myself for being courageous. Destiny made courage a theme in my life since graduating. Life has definitely been scary, but I have been leaning into that fear by taking courageous actions. One of those actions was applying for the 2015-2016 Fulbright U.S. Student program. After many months of praying and waiting, I found out I received the award and now I will be spending nine months studying physical theatre in Italy come this October!"
-Ja'Michael Darnell

"After that night, my faith in my dream was restored. I focused on my dream of being a writer. It was scary but after a leap of faith my work in now in the Austin Latino New Play festival! Gathering with artists and feeling their creative energy was motivation for me."
-Jelisa Jay Robinson

"It's hard to believe that a year has almost gone by since graduation! my biggest worry, which echoed most of the people around me, was whether I would have a job in what I studied. I had applied to a few high school theatre programs already, but had heard back from none. Over the next few weeks I continued to apply but never heard back from any. I finally applied to an elementary school that Roxanne Schroeder-Arce recommended for me, and after applications and paper work, and a 9-hour, all day interview, I had my first job. My biggest accomplishment to date, and the one I am most proud of, is not just surviving, but thriving and having a blast through my first year as a teacher. I've always wanted to be a teacher growing up, through middle school and high school, and I'm always beside myself when thinking back on where I was and where I am now. I did it. :)"
-Oscar Franco

"Looking back a year after college I'm surprised by how much hasn't changed. Sure, parts of my life are different but fundamentally I feel that the past year has just been a continuation for me. Graduation didn't change as much of the world as I thought it would. What I'm most proud of a year later would have to be getting paid to act for the first time. Just having the tangible representation of knowing it's possible to have a life as an artists is something special that I'm deeply thankful for."
-Will Douglas

(Will update with more graduates as they come in!)