[flickr id=”8744674990″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”original” group=”” align=”none”]

Another school year is over and I have graduated! However, this is not the end, this is just the start!

The reason we as grads all went to Columbia was to hone our skills in a wide range of disciplines–management, photography, poetry, film production, film directing, education, dance movement therapy, music composition, creative writing, journalism, and interdisciplinary arts. For those of us graduating, those journeys do not end now. Columbia was just the training. Now our task is to go out and be the leaders in our creative fields. We have so much opportunity at our fingertips. Yes, some opportunities take longer to find than others,  but if we remain open to all the possibilities, there will be a dream job for us out there. It may even mean creating that dream job ourselves. Some of us are leaving Chicago and others, like me, are staying. Wherever we go, we’ll take what we learned with us.

It’s been a wild two years in the South Loop and there will be many more wild years practicing the disciplines and techniques we love the most. As graduate ambassadors our work does not stop here. As alumni, we will forever represent Columbia in Chicago and beyond. It is up to us to be the role models for the artistic leaders of tomorrow.

For those of you planning on attending Columbia this fall we will be available over the summer to ask any questions you may have as you prepare to transition to Chicago. You will probably be starting to look for accommodations and contacts in the city, so don’t be afraid to get in touch. Don’t just stick to the graduate ambassador for your program, talk to all of us. Between us we can answer pretty much any question you may have. For those of you thinking about Columbia, take a look through the Marginalia blogs and you’ll get a fantastic feel for what Columbia has to offer.

Have a fantastic summer!