After serving as one of Her Campus Marist’s Campus Correspondents for the 2015-2016 school year, Lizzy Peper graduated and moved on to bigger and better things. We caught up with her recently to see how the postgrad life really is…
Name: Lizzy Peper
Class Year: 2016
College Degree: Communication, Public Relations; Minors: Spanish, Studio Art and Psychology
Current Location: Baltimore, MD
HC: What was your first job out of college, and what is your current job (if they’re different)?
LP: I am the Marketing Coordinator for Charm City Run, a family of running stores local to the Baltimore area.
HC: What do you miss most about Marist?
LP: There are plenty of things I miss about Marist but the thing I miss most is the opportunities available. I was able to do so many different things that I loved – run competitively, dance, take art classes, join clubs and live with my best friends. Once you graduate, it’s much harder to do so many different things – enjoy all the great options around you while you can!
HC: What is your favorite part of your job now?
LP: I love that my job connects to two of my passions: running and blogging. Every day, in some capacity, I help people run. It is very rewarding to share my love for running with others and be a small part of their own running journey. I also appreciate that running is an integral part of Charm City Run’s company culture. Our bi-weekly managers meetings always kick off with a 7am run around the Baltimore harbor and I end up meeting up with co-workers to run from the stores even on my days off. I also work with amazing local and national fitness and athletic companies. And, a major bonus: 80% of my weekly wardrobe consists of comfortable running clothes and shoes. In addition, I learn a lot in my role that I can apply to my personal blog: Pep In Your Step. I am constantly improving my Photoshop, social media and website building skills which help me improve my own health and fitness blog.
HC: What’s the best part about life after college? The worst?
LP: The best part is actually applying everything you’ve learned in school. It’s great to feel like what you are doing is having an impact and means more than a grade on a test. The worst part is trying to figure everything out! All the sudden you have to find a job, look for a place to live, find new doctors, pay for groceries, make new friends and oh, start saving for retirement. I always say that I am trying to adult but only succeeding at it about 65% of the time.
HC: What’s one thing you wish someone had told you about postgrad life? What’s something surprising?
LP: Something that I never thought about is that is is challenging to make postgrad friends. When you are in high school and college, everyone is the same position as you, you automatically have things in common with the people around you and you are constantly presented with opportunities such as classes and activities to meet people your age with similar interests. After you graduate, unless you are going to graduate school, you have to make an extra effort to meet new people. I definitely have to put myself out there to meet other young people while carving time out of the busy work week to stay in touch with the incredible friends I made at Marist and in high school. Trust me, you’ll quickly determine the friendships that will last; treasure those and text, call and visit those people as often as you can.
HC: Do you have anything you’d like to tell current seniors as they prepare to graduate?
LP: I would say, enjoy every moment. The last semester of senior year, I focused on “just getting through” classes and responsibilities because everything was getting overwhelming. Let yourself embrace the stage you’re at now and then do the same once you graduate. If you enjoy where you’re at, you’ll have no regrets when you move on to postgrad life. Marist is amazing but so is your first job and figuring out how to be an adult so don’t look at one as better or worse than the other. Life keeps chugging along no matter what you do so you may as well enjoy the ride. I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future; be present and live in each moment.
HC: What’s your dream job?
LP: I used to say that my dream job was writing for a health magazine. Now I fulfill my love of writing about wellness with my blog so this is a tough question. I guess I’ll go with my own advice and live in the moment: my dream job is the one I have now. Ultimately, I look forward to living in other places and taking on different roles, but for now I am happy with where I am.
HC: How did your time as HC campus correspondent influence your life today?
LP: My experience as a Campus Correspondent for Her Campus at Marist helped me hone my editing and writing skills. I learned how to effectively craft articles that people want to read. This experience helps me manage the Charm City Run blog and Pep In Your Step. Being able to communicate what you want to say is a powerful thing so keep writing about what is important to you and you will make a difference in this world.
To follow more of Lizzy’s adventures, check out her blog here: pepinurstep.com