Although September feels like it has just begun, the month of May seems like it’s right around the corner for nervous senior students.
Change is always scary and the word “college graduation” begs the question of “what next?” The idea of graduating is usually accompanied by a dizzying array of expectations, social standards, and boxes that graduates feel they have to sort themselves into. But is it really that scary? What do we need to know, what should we expect, and how can we navigate the stress of moving through our last few semesters at IC? Whether you’re counting down the days till you walk the stage, or soaking in every last assignment, night out with friends, and coffee dates with your roommates, hopefully these conversations I had with a few empowering IC alumni will provide comfort. From academics, to relationships, clubs and connections, these women have learned and gained an abundance of transformative experience and insight that they’d love to pass along.
Meet Gabby Cipriani ‘25, a recent IC grad who graduated with a degree in Exercise Science and a unique collection of enriching experiences that shaped her into the person she is now. After transferring from SUNY Oneonta to IC in 2024, Gabby is familiar with piles of change. Although graduation was scary, Gabby thought of it as a new chapter instead of the end of the story.
“It’s not the end, it’s just the beginning.” She said, “I was super sad leaving college but it’s important to realize you don’t need to have everything figured out, your path is just beginning and the possibilities are endless. Take the time to take your priorities and values into account and helping to implement those in your life will ensure you’re on the right path!”
Gabby especially urges students to appreciate and acknowledge their hard work, because it’s too often we can forget to do that. “Congratulate yourself.” She said, especially seniors. “If you feel it or not, the past four years have been transformative in their own way and a lot of hard work went into that degree.”
Looking back, Gabby even says despite the stereotypical stress of senior year, she admits it was her favorite. “There were so many opportunities and great memories! I also really enjoyed taking upper level classes which applied to my degree like neurobiology, neuromuscular control, and organic chemistry two.”
Finishing up her major, along with strengthening friendships, and making long-lasting memories is such an exciting part of senior year.
“I also loved living in Circle Apartments with my best friends and hosting people at our apartment all the time. From movie nights, to family dinners, to late night study sessions, my apartment was always full and rotating with friends and family which made me feel so full and grateful. Senior year I was so excited to share my favorite places and safe spaces with others!” Gabby said. So for any nervous seniors, try to hold onto that in the midst of the chaos! If there’s one thing you remember to focus on doing senior year, it should be to fill your life and time with the people you love and care for and holding on tight to those moments.
Riley Ludwig ‘18, a Television-Radio major and Journalism minor, also learned a lot from her relationships and friendships she cultivated in college. “It’s very natural for people to only come into your life for a certain period of time and then maybe not be a part of the bigger picture”, Riley said. Although a hard pill to swallow, a very realistic and important one.
“I wasted a lot of time in my early 20s trying to preserve relationships with people who maybe weren’t giving me everything that I needed in a connection. It translates to work too, like if you feel like you’re not being appreciated, you know, recognize your work. Try to set some boundaries for yourself, and just don’t allow someone else to have so much power over your well being in that way.” Boundaries and embracing notions like this is what helps make college a little more breathable. It helps to think of the bigger picture, and understand when things are simply out of control, and give yourself permission to let go when it’s necessary.
“If I could talk to 21 year old Riley, I would just say to just like, not try to hold on to things that are running their natural course, and just embrace new connections on the horizon and not feeling pressure to try to preserve connections.” Change is always scary, and accepting that maybe friendships have run its course, or maybe some relationships are seasonal, is scary and sad, but also completely okay. Not everyone we meet is meant to be in our lives forever.
There is a wide collection of expectations, constructed by social standards that come with graduation, but Riley wants to shut some of them down. Specifically this expectation of getting a flashy, fancy job, moments after walking the stage at graduation.
“There’s a lot of pressure to get a glamorous first job and that’s just not a reality. And I just think people should feel empowered to take a job that’s not as glamorous, if it means financial support in the short term.” She said,
“I think people put a lot of pressure on themselves to get something that’s very flashy or seemingly better than another type of job and that’s just too much pressure to put on oneself, so just embracing smaller opportunities that come along the way is what I would encourage.”
Overall, Riley also admits she gained a lot from diversifying her friend group and making friends in all places on campus. Whether it was at her job in Admissions, in her classes or at different clubs, Riley was able to learn a lot from friends with different majors and hobbies.
“I really enjoyed getting to meet with people who were having totally different Ithaca College experiences than I was. I encourage people to participate in organizations or social opportunities that include people across all the schools at Ithaca, because so much of undergraduate education is building skills that can transfer to all different sorts of industries.”
College is about exploring a new identity, and challenging yourself to do all the things you were scared to do in high school. Meet Karyn Antico ‘86, who majored in Business and Personnel and Industrial Relations at IC.
“My life was pretty small in White Plains and I think when I got to college, I felt like I really kind of looked around and saw what there was so much to get involved in. Just going to, like, musical events and just things that I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise.”, She said.
“I made so many different kinds of friends, and I kind of embraced a lot of things that I hadn’t done in high school.” For many students, college is a brand new chance to discover just exactly who you are and try new things and it’s the perfect opportunity to do so. For Karyn, Ithaca had a lot of aspects that she hadn’t had access to in High School, and she took full advantage of it.
“My life was pretty small in White Plains and I think when I got to college, I felt like I really kind of looked around and saw what there was so much to get involved in. Just going to, like, musical events and just things that I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise.”, She said.
“I made so many different kinds of friends, and I kind of embraced a lot of things that I hadn’t done in high school.” For many students, college is a brand new chance to discover just exactly who you are and try new things and it’s the perfect opportunity to do so. For Karyn, Ithaca had a lot of aspects that she hadn’t had access to in High School, and she took full advantage of it.
“I had never really followed soccer, or I never even had seen a rugby game. We just kind of embraced a lot of that. Just taking in everything that the school had to offer. We would go hiking in the falls, and we’d go over and we’d study at Cornell…” Karyn loved Ithaca, and is actually one of the reasons I ended up choosing to commit to IC myself. When I was in High School she told me stories of how much she loved it, and her job working up at the Towers club back when it was more of a restaurant where mostly professors would go. Although Ithaca’s campus may have changed a lot, the theme of exploring the limits of our comfort zones and routines we are used to, is so important, for all IC students to consider!
Christina Croll ‘93 majored in Business and Public Relations at IC and not only enjoyed every second of her time at Ithaca, but is now helping her son navigate through his first year at Purdue University. There’s so much that changes about college as well as expectations over time, but there’s so many important takeaways that stuck with Chris long after her time at IC and are timeless lessons we can all learn from.
“Your education is not just in the classroom… get involved in campus, get involved in town if Ithaca, travel abroad.” She encourages students.
“Specialize in something that makes you different and unique and interesting to employers. It’s less about your GPA and it’s more about you being an interesting person who can contribute a unique point of view to a team.” Chris said.
“As an employer who has hired many students coming right out of college I look for some characteristics of what makes that person unique and what allows them to bring a point of view to my team that nobody else has.” Overall, just focus on strengthening your unique passions and worry less about how many clubs you’re involved in, or how many leadership roles you have!
“College is a time. Not a place.” Chris concludes. It is a transformative period of growth and learning. It’s a time in your life where you get to grow and explore but it doesn’t mean you have to have it all figured out by graduation. Just focus on what drives you and brings you passion, surround yourself with people who bring you joy, give yourself permission to be happy, let go of relationships that may not serve you, and feel free to explore and try new things even if it’s scary.