Graduates relieved to finish school, nervous to face real world

As members of the Class of 1994 tossed rain-drenched graduation caps into the gray sky at Franklin Field last Thursday, their faces took on expressions of both excitement and fear about the quickly approaching future. "I'm scared...about leaving the security of college," said Engineering senior Samori Augusto. "It's real life [now]." "I think everyone's a little scared," said College senior Sameer Mathun, who will continue his education at medical school. "But Penn's prepared me, hopefully." A job in New York City as an investment banker will be a change of pace for College senior Vince Salvato, who hails from the small Missouri metropolis of Kansas City. He said he is "anxious" about his new job and new big-city residence -- although he feels four years in Philadelphia have prepared him for the "big adjustment." Salvato added, though, that despite his anxieties, the moment he threw his graduation cap into the air he only felt "indifferent." "I'm ready to move on," he said. Monica Holtzmuller, an Engineering senior, said that although she landed a "great job" as an engineer for ICI films in Virginia, she is anxious about living so far from her family, based in Ohio. Engineering senior Duke Schnolis said he too is having separation anxiety about leaving what Interim President Claire Fagin called in her commencement speech, "the Penn family." He said he would rather remain at the University than begin his job as a high school teacher. Wharton senior Alaa Elhabashi echoed Schnolis' statements, saying he is "nervous, more than excited" about starting his job in his home country of Egypt. But not all members of the Class of 1994 even have a job to be nervous about. "I just want to find out where I can get my unemployment checks," said Engineering senior Mark Simon. "They don't tell you about that at the [Career Planning and Placement Service.]" Derron Simon, a College senior, said he had not given employment much thought. "I figure I could always work at the shore," he said. College senior Willis Gay also expressed nonchalance about his future. "I've got the rest of my life to figure out the rest of my life," he said. Tanya Weingerg, a College senior, said she is going to "do all the things I couldn't do as a student," now that she has completed her studies at the University. "I want to go to the beach, I want to go around the world, I want to climb the tallest tree," she said. Weinberg said she is not worried about finding a job, though. "I'm relieved [to graduate]," she said. Peter Chung, a Wharton senior, said he felt "unsettled" rather than relieved about facing the job market. "I'd feel a lot better if I knew what I was doing after graduation," he said.