Seniors talk about gained insight across their journey as college students.

Transcript:

0:07: Welcome back to Chronversations. 

0:09: I’m your host, Levi Libson. 

0:13: This week I’m covering something that’s equal parts exciting and surreal: graduation. 

0:19: For seniors, it can be both the ending of a familiar routine while also the beginning of something completely new. 

0:25: In today’s episode, I went to our Grad Expo to speak with our seniors in hopes of gathering some insight into what’s going through their heads and what they feel would be important to pass down to newer generations of students. 

0:36: My name is Caleb McDermott. 

0:38: I’m a photography major with a minor in business, and I’m in my senior year. 

0:42: I’m Kannon Steinmeyer. 

0:44: I’m a senior. 

0:45: I graduate in December of 2027 or 2026, yeah. I ended a semester early. And I’m an audio live and studio major. 

0:55: My name is Rachel Friling. 

0:57: I am a senior.

0:58: I am a film and television major with a concentration in post-production editing and screenwriting.

1:05: What was the moment that made you feel like you really belonged here at the school? 

1:10: This is very specific, but I took one of the, I think everyone has to still take it, the Columbia core classes. 

1:17: I forget what it’s called, but it was the Big Chicago one.

1:21: I was in the nature one, so we went to one of the zoos, I forget which one. I wanna say Lincoln Park. I don’t remember.

1:28: But I had a mutual friend in there, and I didn’t talk to them for two years, and then we rekindled last year in a class together.

1:37: And it was crazy because they remembered me after we both had changed, and then we got together a whole group again that we had in that class.

1:44: And it was really nice to just know that everyone stayed on campus even though everything that already happened, like the strike, and then tuition costs going up again and again. 

1:51: There’s so much opportunity here and on the Columbia side of things, I got a lot of help from connections I’ve made, networking and all that stuff, and that’s what helped me get jobs. 2:03: And so I think that’s what really made me feel like I made the right decision coming here and when I belonged is when I started getting work and it was actually working, you know, like, yeah, for sure. Like, when the hard work was starting to pay off basically, you know. 

2:17: What’s one thing that you wish you took more seriously with college? 

2:21: I think about making more friends than I have. 

2:26: I was a transfer student, as I said, but I also commuted into the city as well, so I wish I took more opportunities with the events that Columbia had and also the different locations where we were able to go. 

2:41: What’s one thing that you wish you took less seriously? 

2:45: I think spending too much time on one specific project, making it perfect, since you really can’t be perfect in everything. 

2:55: My work. I wish sometimes I could have more fun with what I do. 

3:00: If it’s audio and all that stuff, I wish I could take a step back, and it could be like it was before I came here and decided to do this for my career. 

3:12: Now it feels more serious, you know, so it’s like, everything I do, I have to perform the best, and I feel less inclined to try new things and experiment when there’s pressure on my back, you know.

3:26: I just go with what I know and all that stuff, which is not all the time, obviously, but for some gigs and stuff like that, it’s kind of hard to have fun, if you will, you know, ‘cause it’s your job now. 

3:39: So you’re doing what you love, but it’s less fun because you got to do it right, you know what I mean? 

3:45: What’s some real advice that you would give underclassmen that you think they’ll probably ignore? 

3:50: Probably will. 

3:51: It’s gonna be really awkward to do this because it was for me personally, but go to any social event that has a club in it.

3:59: You could have the smallest bit of interest. 

4:01: You could have a very niche interest within that group. 

4:04: Go to it and just see who you click with. 

4:06: It’s a great way to make friends. 

4:07: It’s a great way to just understand how clubs work, and then if you even wanted to, you could make your own.

4:12: They will happily give you advice on how it works, and the SGA board is so nice. 

4:17: Just reach out to them, talk to them, just ask questions. 

4:19: There’s nothing to be afraid of. 

4:20: We’re been here longer than you. We’re gonna know what we’re talking about for the most part. 

4:24: What’s something that you would tell students to stop caring about so much? 

4:29: I would stop caring about interrupting class if you’re stuck or confused. 

4:35: I’ve only had one teacher at my time here who I currently have … for the photo department folks, Verser. 

4:41: I know he worked in commercial. 

4:42: He’s doing an editing class, and it is the hardest class I’ve ever taken here. 

4:46: The first thing he said on day one is, “If you don’t interrupt me, you will fail this class.”

4:49: Trying to be a perfectionist, especially when it comes to our projects and stuff.

4:56: It’s okay to make mistakes. I mean, we’re here at the school to learn, and we have educators who are willing to help us as well. 

5:02: And then my final question for you is: What was your go-to survival meal? 

5:08: Definitely instant Kraft Mac & Cheeses, yeah. 

5:12: See, I’m a commuter, so I’m from the north side. 

5:14: When I was on campus, I was just making a lot of sandwiches. 

5:19: Whatever I had in that fridge, I would combine it to some abomination and just down it. 

5:23: I live in Pilsen, so I get really cheap tacos and burritos all the time. 

5:30: I like this place, Coyotes on 18th. They have $7 al pastor burritos, so I’ll just go in there and grab that.

5:38: And then I really like this place, Memo’s on 18th. They’ve got Philly cheesesteaks, hot dogs, and you can get a meal for under 10 bucks. 

5:49: Really any meal that’s under 10 bucks is my survival. 

5:52: If not, it’s gonna be white rice and some chicken or something like that, you know. 

5:58: Make sure to stay up to date with campus and metro news at columbiachronicle.com. 

6:03: I’m Levi Libson. 

6:04: Thanks for listening. 

Copy edited by Katie Peters