As graduation approaches for Marquette University’s class of 2010, some seniors are taking a creative approach to bridging the gap between college and career.

Some levels of creativity are crossing continents.

Kathleen Scott, a senior in the College of Communication, isn’t applying for jobs or graduate school. She is applying for grants.

Scott is moving to South Africa, on her own funding, to run the Youth Cultural Connection Project. Scott and two of her classmates, Elizabeth Benninger and Lizzy Bailey, founded the group after studying abroad in South Africa in 2008.

The program focuses on connecting youth in Cape Town with youth in Milwaukee’s inner city through photography and written communication.

Scott said the group is always looking for new ways to promote the project. The founders of YCCP plan to raise at least $7,000 this year for expansion.

“The support we have received from the Center for Peacemaking has been fantastic,” she said. “Funding is always a challenge, but we have been lucky.”

While students who attend Marquette are often very service-oriented, the decrease in job opportunities within the market has motivated some students to branch out.

Laura Kestner, director of Marquette’s Career Services Center, said more students are choosing to pursue a career in service or take a year off to volunteer in their field.

“Students are getting more creative about their careers,” Kestner said. “They are following their dreams. What’s better than that?”

Megan Janni, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, is spending her first year after graduation volunteering in a medical clinic at the Spanish Catholic Center in Washington, D.C.

Janni was accepted into the full-time volunteer program last Wednesday after an intense application process that included five essays and numerous interviews.

“I figured this would be a great experience and relevant to what I want to do in the future,” Janni said.

She said she is fortunate to have alternative plans to a traditional job, given the current economic climate.

“A few people close to me are really struggling to find a job,” Janni said. “I’m happy to say I haven’t faced this challenge.”

Conversely, Jonathan Giel, a senior in the College of Business Administration, has found work with a Fortune 500 company.

Giel, who is graduating with a major in finance and information technology, will launch his career with Liberty Mutual, an insurance company. Because the economy is a challenge, companies are being selective in their hiring processes.

He submitted his resume and application last September and interviewed with three managers in early January before receiving an offer to work in Indianapolis.

“This is an exciting time in my life that will allow me to use everything I’ve learned at Marquette in the real world,” Giel said.

Although some seniors, like Giel, have job opportunities waiting, Kestner said Career Services is continuing to hold one-on-one appointments with seniors looking to clarify their career goals.

According to Kestner, the center has conducted appointments with 800 undergraduate students this year, 40 percent of whom were seniors. This number does not include student walk-ins.

“There are still seniors looking to apply for jobs,” Kestner said. “We like to call them our ‘April seniors.’”

Kestner said the application process for seniors applying now as opposed to earlier is the same. The difference is the speed and urgency with which it must be done.

Career Services has arranged approximately 200 interviews for students seeking jobs this year, she said.

“Every day we get calls from employers wanting resumes, not just in engineering or medicine, but in communications, social media, IT and education,” she said.

Giel said he is proud of his Marquette degree and offered encouragement to his peers.

“I feel as though employers recognize Marquette as a great university — one that develops great individuals,” he said.