This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at St Edward's chapter.
Meet recent post grad Kaitlin! This Cali girl is too cute for words! Get to know this sweet lady and what life is like for her post grad!
- Name: Kaitlin McKenna
- Where are you from: Palos Verdes Estates, CA (a beach city in the outskirts of Los Angeles)
- Where do you currently live: Palos Verdes Estates, CA
- Birthday: July 2, 1995
- Graduation date: May 2017
- What did you earn your undergraduate in: Digital Media Management
- Why did you choose St. Ed’s: I wanted to go to a small school, out-of-state, that had brick buildings
- What were you involved in on campus: Not as much as I should have been lol
- What is so special about Austin: I love Austin for the fact that it is a small city with a younger population. There are so many different things to do that really attract a younger crowd; whether you’re a foodie, a sports enthusiast, or an outdoorsy fella, there are countless things to do.
- How are Austin and LA alike: Both LA and Austin promote active, healthy lifestyles, and water sports are very popular. In Austin, that could be SUPing or kayaking Ladybird Lake, tubing down the river in San Marcos, or taking a boat out on Lake Travis. For LA, we usually tend to just go to the beach or a pool. Both cities also are very big into the music scene. With that being said, concert tickets always seemed so much cheaper in Austin compared to LA. Both cities also have very diverse communities, which is awesome!
- How are they different: I was pleasantly surprised to find that southern hospitality is actually a thing, you typically have to open doors for yourself in CA. Texans also love their BBQ, their football, and their boots way more than Californians. However, from my experience, country music is a lot more popular in CA than in TX, really surprising. Weather, at least in the part of CA that I am in, is usually not as hot and humid as Austin, BUT when it does get hot and humid, we don’t have AC (shocking, I know). Austin is a lot more compact of a city compared to LA. It is a lot easier to do things in Austin, even with the traffic, than in LA because everything is so spread out, but they’re both great cities.
- If there is one thing that you could have done differently during your four years of college what would it have been and why: If I could have done one thing differently, I would have gotten an internship. Talking to employers, that is the one critique of theirs. They get how I was in college and took summer school every year and worked when I could, but so did Sally plus she had an internship. Kudos to Sally because that is a lot to have on her plate, but it makes her a better candidate and I totally understand that. I just wish I had realized how important that was while I was still in school.
- What is your current job status: Currently unemployed, but definitely searching
- How is the job hunt going: It’s going haha. In my case I was very fortunate and I have had a few offers, BUT I really want to work for this one company, so I’m currently holding off on the other options.
- Scariest thing about the job hunt: The wait before an interview is the scariest part for me. I don’t know why either because I have only met nice people, but I think it’s that unknown of how it’s going to go that gets to me.
- Most exciting thing about the job hunt: The most exciting thing about the job hunt for me is meeting incredible people. It is so touching to me when either a family friend, a complete stranger, or a friend-of-a-friend sticks their neck out to try and help. At first the job hunt did scare me, but, I’m realizing people want to see you succeed and they want to help you any way they can. This is what is so great about the world we live in and the community we grew up in, as well as the St. Ed’s community. The world is a lot smaller than we think and there are connections everywhere, you just need to take advantage of them when you see them!
- Any advice for current seniors: Oh, I have plenty of advice haha. Don’t worry if you don’t know what you want to do, you’ll figure it out and if you don’t, you will learn along the way. I cannot stress how important it is to get an internship on your resume. Don’t be nervous during an interview or applying for job! I realize that’s easier said than done, but people really do want to see you succeed and they want to help you. Lastly, everything ends up working out exactly as it is supposed to. So don’t be discouraged if you don’t get the job you wanted, the right one will come along at exactly the right time! Just stay positive!
Now, time for some fun questions!
- What do you miss most about Austin: The things I miss most about Austin are my friends and Longhorn football.
- Favorite joint in Austin for happy hour: Haha that depends on the day. Cain and Abel’s on West Campus for Texas Tea on Thursday, Haymaker $2 margaritas on Friday, and Mimosas at Banger’s on Sunday are probably my top three. (Editors note: we have to agree with Cain and Abel’s Texas Tea. It is an Austin college kid staple)
- 6th street or Rainey: Rainey, that’s not even a question lol.
- Thoughts on classy 6th: Ya know, it’s just not my style. I think it is fun to dress up and go once in awhile, but I’m definitely more of a casual person. BUT it is fun!
- Kerbey or Magnolia queso: Don’t hate me…I’m not a queso person so I’ve never had either…tbh I don’t think I’ve ever had queso at all lol.
We love you Kaitlin (even though you hate queso)! Best of luck on your job hunt! We know you are going to do some awesome things!