The black gowns and mortarboards are now packed away. So where can the world expect to find Kenyon’s most recent graduates? Just about everywhere, from financial firms to nonprofit organizations to other classrooms, both as teachers and students.
Molly Goolman ’14, a history and biology double major, used her coursework and her extra-curricular activities to land a job teaching history at Saint James School in Hagerstown, Md. She’ll also coach field hockey and softball, two sports she played while at Kenyon. She hopes to pass on what she learned to her students. “Kenyon taught me the importance of writing. Young teachers can bring high communications standards to the table for the 21st-century student.”
Zach Arlia ’14, an economics major, is moving to Evanston, Ill., to start a job as a client financial marketing associate at ZS Associates, a firm specializing in sales and marketing. His education on the Hill, he says, prepared him for a career in finance. “It sounds cliché at this point, but a liberal arts education prepares you to be a well rounded problem solver, to see solutions to problems others wouldn’t see,” he said.
Some graduates, like Ben Neuhaus ’14, won’t take a break from their education: In August, the political science major will report to New Haven, Conn., as part of the incoming class at Yale Law School. He encourages those considering law school after graduation to be sure it’s what they want. “Don’t go to law school unless you know you want to be a lawyer,” said Neuhaus, who adds that he’s known his career path most of his life. “If you’re not sure, take a year off.”
Scott Layson, director of career development at Kenyon, says he’s thrilled with where the Class of 2014 is headed. “We’ve had more students with multiple offers than we’ve seen in some time,” he said. He also noted that fewer seniors than in years past – less than 10 percent – were unsure of what they would do after graduation.
Layson credits the hard work of the students, as well as faculty and alumni, in the success of the newest graduates. “The whole Kenyon community is committed to helping students develop a plan for after Kenyon. There is a lot of conversation and assistance occurring.”
Here is where other members of the Class of 2014 are headed.