The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Graduation ends college careers

About 1,200 undergraduate and 700 graduate and professional students will graduate at 9:30 a.m. on May 16 at the Bradley Center.

The main graduation ceremony features speakers and does not require tickets for entry. However, the ceremonies for individual colleges, which will follow the main ceremony, feature dispersion of diplomas and may require tickets, depending on the college.

The College of Arts & Sciences plans to hold its activities in the Alumni Memorial Union. The College of Health Sciences has set its ceremonies for the Weasler Auditorium. The College of Communication has scheduled its activities at the Milwaukee Area Technical College's Cooley Auditorium. The College of Business Adminstration has planned its activities in the U.S. Cellular Arena.

Several students from different colleges have expressed various plans and ideas for life after Marquette.

Senior Angela Zunker, a dental hygiene and pre-dentistry major, plans to begin dental school at Marquette next fall. In the meantime, she said she would take up a summer job to earn a little extra cash.

"I'm really looking forward to" graduation, Zunker said. "These have really been the best years I've had. I am very excited to start dental school. I absolutely love Marquette."

While at Marquette, Zunker was a member of the Marquette University Student Dental Hygiene Association, served on the executive board for the American Student Dental Association, volunteered for Hunger Clean-Up and served as a floor representative in Straz tower Residence Hall.

Senior Nathaniel Fell, a history and education double major, plans to accept a job in Berkeley County, S.C., as a high school social studies teacher after graduation. He said he wants to become a head wrestling coach at the school.

"I've always wanted to coach wrestling and it's something I enjoy doing," Fell said. "I know the pay isn't the greatest but I think for what I do, it's a bargain."

Fell said basketball is what drew him to Marquette and he enjoyed it the most during his time at the university.

"I can honestly say that as a young Jewish kid coming to a Jesuit school, I never felt like people branded me as the Jewish guy," Fell said. "It was more of a sense of uniqueness than a problem."

Other graduating seniors, like Laura Michl, a broadcasting major, are not sure what they will do after graduation. Michl plans to look for jobs and hopes to pursue some type of career in the filmmaking world.

In her time spent at Marquette, Michl spent three year working for MUTV and trying other activities.

"It was a learning experience and something I am glad I went through," Michl said. "I'm excited because I'm ready to be done with school but I'm also a little bit scared because school's all I know."

Fellow graduating senior and advertising major, Stephanie Strigenz, is interviewing for several jobs after graduation, one at the Milwaukee Art Museum and one at Rockwell Automation. Strigenz said she would like some type of leadership position but right now she is looking forward to change.

"I am excited to be moving into a new apartment and starting a new job," Strigenz said.

Although she lived in the area, Strigenz said she never really considered Marquette as a choice for college until she drove through it with her father.

"I think it's been very well spent," Strigenz said. "I've really enjoyed all the people I had to meet and all the classes and professors."

Another senior in the class of 2004 is Kyle Knauff, a finance major who plans to attend Marquette's physical therapy program the day after he graduates. Knauff said he was not able to major in physical therapy upon his acceptance because it is only a graduate program but he heard that a business background would work well with what he wanted to do.

"I always enjoy working with people," Knauff said. "I really love sports and this was the job that incorporated both of those things."

Although he has no set career plans yet, Knauff said he would like to work in outpatient therapy.

Drew Hunn, another senior in the College of Business Administration, majored in economics and finance. After graduation he said he will work at Northwestern Muteual in downtown Milwaukee.

"I'm really happy to be graduating from a great school like Marquette," Hunn said. "I think I remember (the years here) as five days of really hard work surrounded by two days of really fun parties with some really fun kids."

In his time at Marquette, Hunn took part in many intramural sports, was a member of the Financial Management Association and participated in various volunteer work.

Senior Tobias Torgerson, a classical languages major, already decided on a fellowship at Cornell University for the next five years. He said he plans to obtain a Ph.D and maybe even return to Marquette to teach as a professor.

While at Marquette, Torgerson participated in the philosophy Club, the Gesu Meal Program, Eta Sigma Phi, the classical honors society and other activities.

"Marquette is a really engaging place," Torgerson said. "Everybody has an opinion about anything. Students here are involved, they're engaged, they're thinking and they're also caring. The professors are always willing to help out. They're able to get along amiably with their students."

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