98.5 HD4 The MEL: CMB STATION OF THE YEAR?!

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After I graduate, I am interested in exploring a career in event planning, journalism, or possibly going to grad school. 

What opportunities have you had at UNW?

Where has life taken you after UNW?

Life after graduation has been filled with learning curves and growing pains. I was hired on after my internship at Berean Baptist Church and worked there as their Communications Associate and Event Specialist for 1.5 years. I decided that I wanted to test the waters of corporate life after being recruited by a medical software company called MatrixCare. I spent over four years there working my way up the ladder until they had an opening within marketing as their Event Specialist until 2020. I bought my first house (fixer upper) on my own and shortly after was laid off due to COVID. I spent the next seven months renovating my house and searching for a job in one of the largest unneeded industries. Finally, I found a job as an Event Planner at Jostens after hundreds of applications, interviews, and no's. I stayed in this role for two years, during which I married my now husband, Austin Lagesse. I now work at a medical device company called Nuvaira as their Events Manager and I have never been happier in my career! My husband and I have been married for almost two years and we are so excited to welcome our daughter in July of this year!


What advice do you have for current students?

Don’t give up. It is really hard to be a recent graduate. Companies overlook you because you don’t have enough experience and they worry about how little you know about true processes in the workforce. I graduated with a mountain of student loans, and I felt so much pressure because suddenly I had bills coming from every direction. My pride got in the way a lot and I felt I deserved more than my experience allowed.

Once I let go of a bit of my pride, I realized that there is nothing wrong with taking a job at the bottom and working your way to your goal/dream job. Part of being young is building your resume and doing the grunt/hard work. That’s one of the best ways to learn and grow, not to mention appreciate where you’ve come from when you have “made it”.

I struggled so much after graduation that I lived off of dry cereal and PB&J. That’s okay! People understand and will help you along the way. My church helped me a ton! Finding your church home with a solid community can be hard, but please make sure you do that. When I graduated from UNW, I was starving for the level of community I had during my time there. I couldn't find anything for me so I started a small group for young adults, which has brought me some of my closest friends!

More than anything though, learn how to sell yourself and be confident that you really can do it! Even if they tell you that you aren’t a fit, that can be such a blessing! Each rejection is bringing you one step closer to the right job/company for you.