Name: Julia Kennedy
Year: Graduate School at Sacred Heart University (CT)
Major (now): Sports Media and Broadcasting
Major (at UP): Communications
Hometown: Yakima, WA
What was it like to fly ALL the way across the country for grad school? Crazy?
Crazy, awesome, exhilarating – I absolutely love moving around and exploring different parts of the grand ol’ US of A, and there’s no better time then now to do it. I’m still young, decently good looking, and have a thirst for meeting new people and trying new things!
Favorite part about grad school:
Grad school has given me the chance to really delve into broadcasting and explore my dream of being on-air talent on TV. The incredible amount of opportunities already available to me, simply because of my location here in Connecticut, is absurd – and I’m making sure to take advantage of every single one.
What advice would you give undergraduates who are considering grad school right after college?
Do your research. While grad school might sound extremely appealing, depending on your areas of interest you might need further education, or it might not be necessary at all! Also, are you willing to take more standardized tests? (I definitely wasn’t. My grad program doesn’t require a GRE!) Do thorough research on potential programs, and definitely sit down with your advisor to go over your ideas – they will have a ton of advice and resources for you to turn to.
You took the summer off (before grad school) to travel abroad. How was that?
The best part about that was that I was paid to do it! I knew that I needed to make travel happen no matter what – if I was going to grad school, moving to NYC, whatever – because it’s really central to what I am passionate about. So I applied in November to Bold Earth Teen Adventures, a teen adventure company that has trips everywhere in the US and abroad. I put passion and tons of Harry Potter quotes into my application, and before I knew it, they were sending me to Peru for six weeks! I couldn’t have imagined a better summer before starting grad school, and I am obsessed with all of the kids that I lead this summer. My co-leader is one of my best friends, and I have an insane amount of amazing memories from one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
While at UP, you were Her Campus Portland’s Campus Coordinator. What did you like about your experience with Her Campus?
Her Campus was not only an incredible launching pad for my career, but an awesome way to bring some personality and sass to UP! The HC Portland ladies are always fun, had awesome ideas, and were down to put together last minute parties and plans. It was a blast working with so many driven women, who all wanted to make a difference in different ways.
What do you miss most about UP?
Way too many things: I will be a proud alumna until the end of time! I don’t even know if I could give one thing that I miss the most, because everything is connected. I miss the Friday night soccer games under the lights with the Villa Drum Squad, I miss karaoke nights at the T-Room eating cajun tots, I miss my professors who called me “Hermione,” even past graduation. Common theme here: I miss the people that UP not only attracts but is filled with.
Best UP Memory:
I’m gonna be difficult here and say that there is no way I could pick one memory. All four years at UP were the best of my life (at least, so far – but let’s be honest, they would have only been beat if I spent them at Hogwarts). But one of my favorites is Weekend on the Bluff this last April: greeting all of the baby pre-frosh and sharing with them all of the millions of reasons why I fell in love with UP made me stupidly proud of the school that I chose for college. It reminded me of where I was in that stage of my life, as a senior in college with no friggin’ idea of what I was doing, with the entire world at my feet but I didn’t know it. Sharing my passion for all things Portland Pilots and seeing pre-frosh get so excited about becoming a Pilot made me literally glow with insane happiness. It was a weekend full of, “Hell yeah, we have a group of men who wear kilts and follow our soccer team around the country! Hell yeah, we don’t sell bottled water on campus because we care about the planet! Hell yeah you can wear basketball shorts and UGGs everyday to class and still be socially accepted because I did it!”
Ok, last question. Tell us about your new additions to the family (your kittens)!
Russell and Wilson are two of the boppiest and needy kittens you could ever ask for, which is awesome if you remember that cats are generally very standoffish and “smh” about almost everything. I like to ask them for advice on things and I’ll get a pretty long answer, but I’m still working on learning “kitten” so no word on what they’re actually saying to me (yet). But in all seriousness, I recommend pets to literally everyone, once you can actually afford to take care of them with your time and money. They’re an instant mood lifter and great mini heater when you’re desperate for warmth. And none of my other friends get that excited about a toy fish filled with catnip!