College brings many different people together into one place, forming a community of fun and learning that ideally prepares students for their lives and jobs after school. However, it can be difficult to imagine what life after college looks like. Two recent EMU graduates, Analisi Martin and Jay Cho were willing to share about where they are now and how their lives have changed since leaving EMU, as well as reminiscing about their time at college.
Jay Cho, who majored in accounting, graduated in 2019. While on campus he was president of the International Student Organization (ISO) and also participated in many other clubs and campus events.
After graduation, Cho lived in Virginia for a while but found that he was struggling with the transition out of college. He moved back to South Korea and, just a few weeks ago, Cho moved to Jeju Island in South Korea. He said, “I came to the island to refresh myself for just a short two-day trip- and then I wanted to stay here longer and managed to find a job, which was pretty lucky.”
The job that Cho got is at the language center of Cheju Halla University. He is an administrative staff member, working with both students and teachers (and also handling a lot of paperwork). While Cho has not been on Jeju for very long, he said that it is nice to be on the island. “It’s kind of like Harrisonburg, not too crowded and you have a lot more space than living in the city.”
Cho says that he encourages students at EMU to make the most of the campus, resources, and people made available to them at the university. “I don’t think college is about learning in the classroom, I think it’s about facilitating and using people and the resources and the place to pursue your interests,” said Cho. Cho also wanted to include a shoutout to his college roommate and friend, senior Rodrigo Barahona, who he misses very much.
Analisi Martin, English and Writing Studies major, graduated in 2020. While she attended EMU Martin was very involved in the Language and Literature program: writing and editing for the Weather Vane, helping with the production of The Phoenix (EMU’s annual literary arts journal), and working as a writing tutor in the Academic Success Center.
Following graduation Martin signed up with Mennonite Voluntary Service and worked with a non-profit, the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER), for a year in Washington DC. “It definitely ended up being an awesome experience, but, in the beginning, it was a little rough,” said Martin. Her time in DC was marked by both the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the political tensions of the 2020 election. “The community was stressed,” Martin said. By March 2021, though, the city began opening back up as more people got vaccinated. “There was just that hope again, which seems so cliche. ”
In late July 2021, Martin’s year with Mennonite Voluntary Service came to an end. She moved back to her home state of North Carolina and found a job working for Technica Editorial as an editorial assistant and copy editor. “My work with the Weather Vane and the Phoenix definitely helped me get that job, and also just editing so many gosh dang papers as a writing and English major.”
Martin said that her time in DC was definitely helpful to her when transitioning out of college. “I do think there is something to be said for giving yourself time, if that is a possibility, for exploration.” She also mentioned that for college students, and recent college grads, there is a lot of emphasis on doing “something that you love” but that it is okay to not have a single passion that you dedicate your life to. She enjoys her copy-editing work; it isn’t necessarily her “passion,” but it also doesn’t need to be in order to be rewarding.
