Sandra Knispel: [music the Genesee] Yep, it鈥檚 that time of year again…to be precise鈥攖he 169th graduation at the University of Rochester. So, get ready to belt out the alma mater song鈥攖he Genesee鈥攚ritten by 1892 alumnus T.T. Swinburn鈥nd performed here expertly by the YellowJackets, the University鈥檚 oldest a capella group. This year, about 1,600 undergrads and 900 graduate students are receiving degrees from the University. Here are four of them:
Gillian Gingher: Hi, my name is Gillian Gingher and I鈥檓 graduating with a bachelor鈥檚 in art history and business.
Benton Gordon: I鈥檓 Benton Gordon and I鈥檓 graduating with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in applied music in flute performance from the Eastman School of Music.
Beatriz Gil: I鈥檓 Beatriz Gil, I鈥檓 graduating with a bachelor degree in economics and political science, and with a minor in Chinese and international relations. And I鈥檓 from Barcelona, Spain.
Gabriel Guisado: I鈥檓 Gabriel Guisado. I鈥檓 graduating with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in biomedical engineering.
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Knispel: After four years on campus it鈥檚 time to seek out new adventures..
Gingher: I鈥檓 planning on pursuing a master鈥檚 of architecture degree.
Knispel: Gillian Gingher is heading next to the Georgia Institute of Technology next for her master鈥檚 degree. As an undergrad she interned at several art museums in New York City and at the University鈥檚 Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester. She was also the events manager for the student-run Harnett Gallery on campus.
Gingher: [During] my time spent working in the art world I鈥檝e learned a lot鈥攖hat I like working with people and that I like working in social-justice capacities. So, it actually helped me figure out that I wanted to go into architecture, because I knew I loved art, science, design, and maybe I do like math [laughs]. Don鈥檛 tell my dad I said that though. I decided I wanted to go into architecture because I knew it was a way to help people. I basically want to go into an urban design route and design public housing and mixed-income housing.
Gordon: In August, I鈥檒l be leaving for Taiwan to work as an English teaching assistant through the Fulbright program. I鈥檓 looking forward to not only immersing myself in Taiwanese culture, developing my Mandarin Chinese skills but also working with a local English teacher and learning how to become a better classroom teacher.
Gil: I鈥檓 going to San Francisco. So we鈥檒l be going to California. I鈥檝e never been there but I鈥檓 very excited. I鈥檝e heard really good things about San Francisco and I鈥檒l be working in consulting in the Department of Strategy and Operation as a business analyst for Deloitte.
Guisado: So, I鈥檓 going to be working with Accenture, which is a consulting firm. And I鈥檒l be in Philadelphia, working on their technology side and I鈥檓 hoping to work with healthcare and biotechnology clients.
Knispel: So, where do you hope to land eventually鈥攚hat鈥檚 your dream job? First up Beatriz Gil.
Gil: My dream job would be around politics. I think that before I really liked the idea of running for office. I鈥檓 not sure if that is anymore just because I think I really like more the international perspective and sometimes I think when you run for office it鈥檚 more focused on your country. So, something that I鈥檓 very interested in is applying consulting to politics. So, international consulting. I just can鈥檛 do it right now in the US because I wouldn鈥檛 go through the clearance for political consulting but that鈥檚 something that I would be very interested in.
Gordon: My professor at Eastman asked me that same question in my first lesson: 鈥淲hat鈥檚 your dream yob?鈥� And back then at the beginning of my first year I said, 鈥淲ell, my dream job is to play piccolo with the Seattle Symphony.鈥� I鈥檓 from Seattle and my high school teacher currently occupies that seat, so I can鈥檛 realize that job until she鈥檚 retired. But nowadays the question is a bit more complicated. Many days my dream job would be playing in an orchestra, playing piccolo and soaring above the rest of the instruments.
Knispel: After his first year at Eastman, Benton Gordon took a gap year for financial reasons. He ended up substitute teaching at his former middle and high school, which gave him another idea鈥�
Gordon: I taught every subject except computers at the middle school. I taught high school science and Chinese. And when I came back to Eastman I realized I really missed teaching. So nowadays, I鈥檓 kind of caught between the two. Going forward the role that music has in my life could look very different. It might be my full-time profession. I might go out and win an orchestra job and get that seat with the Seattle Symphonie. But it might also be something that I do on the side.
Guisado: I think my dream job at this point would be something having to do with entrepreneurship in biomedical engineering and maybe on the consulting side that I鈥檓 starting out of鈥攕o possibly having my own biotech/healthcare consulting firm in the future. Because one of my passions and why I picked my major is that I really care about people鈥檚 access to healthcare and trying to make that cheaper and I think that consultants can play a role in that鈥攎ore so than just waiting on policy to do so.
Knispel: Gillian Gingher, the budding architect, also happened to be a meridian for the University, taking prospective students and their parents for tours of our River campus.
Gingher: I actually became a meridian my freshman spring, so a long time ago. I loved taking my tours to funny little places that are not on the scripted tour route. Just because I have so many little niches, like in the library and many places like that.
Knispel: So, if I came to campus as a potential freshman where would you take me? What鈥檚 your special spot that鈥檚 not on the tour?
Gingher: Oh, I mean I love taking people into the book stack. I don鈥檛 always take them like into the book stack but I love showing them the Otis elevator since it鈥檚 one of the oldest elevators in Rochester and it鈥檚 also a really old elevator in general, which is super cool. If you like architecture鈥攖he elevator is basically what happened to make the skyscraper and that basically created American architecture. So, it鈥檚 a big deal looking at an old elevator鈥or a nerd like me, at least.
Knispel: And talking of favorite spots鈥� here鈥檚 Gabriel Guisado鈥檚..
Guisado: It鈥檚 not really a spot. For me it鈥檚 very iconic. It鈥檚 the Eastman Quad. And I remember going for accepted students day and saying, 鈥淲ow, I just feel like I am at this prestigious university that鈥檚 going to help me grow and mature and it just feels like a culmination of a lot of things. So, I definitely want to come back there.鈥�
Knispel: So, how much did they get involved in campus life? Beatriz Gil was first the president of class council for three years and then, in her last year, the president of student government. She got involved, she says, to give international students a voice.
Gil: I would say the contribution I鈥檝e been able to make to international students鈥nd I don鈥檛 think I can name one thing. I think it has been small changes. So, I鈥檝e worked with orientation, I鈥檝e worked with Fraternities [and] Sororities affairs, I鈥檝e worked within Class Council, with Residential Life as an RA, and through Student Government. And I think with all of those things I鈥檝e been able to make small changes that have had hopefully, I think, a large impact on international students on campus.
Guisado: I鈥檝e primarily been involved with the National Society of Black Engineers, which is something I鈥檝e been involved with in my four years here. So I started off trying to find a club that really fits what I鈥檓 looking for here. And so I think it fit me very well because it鈥檚 both an affinity group and a pre-professional group鈥攕o it aligns with me culturally and what I want to do post graduation. I started off as a general member, which then gave me the opportunity to attend the national convention.
Knispel: From that moment onward in Boston at the national convention Gabriel Guisado was hooked. He eventually became the president of the campus chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.
Guisado: Being able to be at a national convention of that scale and being able to talk to so many companies, so many different professionals and students, and really understanding what it means to have an interview, show your cover letter, give your elevator pitch鈥攖hose real professional skills鈥擨 feel like I would not have that without NSBE, which has helped prepare me to get a job.
Knispel: As the four are now getting ready to leave Rochester, we asked them for their personal highlights鈥�
Gordon: A lot of them, as a music student, have to do with different performances, recitals, concerts that I have given鈥ust the huge amount of camaraderie that comes with that鈥攂oth playing in a group鈥攁nd exiting the stage door to the cheers and applause of so many classmates and teachers.
Knispel: But one memory, says Benton Gordon, is much simpler and has nothing to do with music.
Gordon: Back in my first year the church that some of my friends and I attended was just a couple of miles from school. So the fall we would walk back from church to Eastman, about a two mile walk along East Avenue. On one particular day we were walking down and there were these huge piles of leaves that people had raked off their lawns. So we decided to jump in them. One of my favorite photos from that鈥攆our of my friends, you can see them lying in a leave pile, but I am not there. So one of my friends drew a circle around the place where I had been and wrote my name because I had successfully hidden myself in the leaves. That鈥� just one of my most cherished memories.
Knispel: To some, Rochester proved a chance to discover new talents鈥�.Beatriz Gil never thought she鈥檇 actually become so smitten with research..
Gil: I came here and I had the opportunity to do research for professor (Hein) Goemans the political science department. [I am] completely in love with him. He鈥檚 the best professor I鈥檝e ever met鈥攕o motivated, so in love with what he does and his research. And he made me realize how research could be something very interesting and that I could also fall in love with. I did research for one year for him and then I have now finished my honors thesis for political science and I know 100 percent I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to do it without his motivation since the start.
Knispel: Meanwhile, for Gillian Gingher going to school here seemed in a way destined, long before she was even born鈥�
Gingher: Well, my parents are alumni actually. They met in Slater, which is one of the upper classmen housing. It is no longer new and shiny like it was in the 80s when they met there. But I actually didn鈥檛 want to come to the university because they went here. I wanted my own spot.
Knispel: But once Gillian walked a bit around campus she changed her mind.
Gingher: This place鈥攊t basically grew my parents, at least in an undergraduate capacity. And it just had so many things to offer me personally, as well as the community, the open curriculum鈥攁nd I just realized, 鈥淵eah, this is the perfect place for me. Fine, mom and dad, I鈥檒l go here.鈥�
Knispel: And now, looking back four years later.. was it the right spot?
Gingher: Definitely, yes. Definitely, definitely. I mean, I made the best friends ever here and I鈥檝e had the best time. I鈥檓 so sad to go. So sad. Even with a bright future鈥擨 don鈥檛 want to graduate. And I don鈥檛 think any of my friends really do yet. We鈥檙e kind of getting really nostalgic at this point.
Knispel: [nat sound alma mater] Well, we hope you鈥檒l all be back for Meliora Weekends! But first it鈥檚 time to enjoy your graduation ceremony. [more Genesee song]鈥nd, of course, you don鈥檛 have to be an expert to sing the Genesee鈥�
I鈥檓 Sandra Knispel for the Quadcast, the official podcast of the University of Rochester. [nat sound alma mater, applause]