Meet Six December Graduates
On Friday, December 10th, a brand-new group of Chatham students will earn their diplomas and the official title of Chatham alumni. In honor of this very special occasion, we caught up with six of our soon-to-be December graduates to learn more about their Chatham experience, their next steps, and the advice they might give to their younger selves. Read on for a glimpse into their worlds—
Sophie Barner
Pronouns: She/her
Major: Visual Arts with a double concentration in Art History and Studio Art and a minor in Art Museum Studies
Clubs/sports/activities on campus: Artist Collective, Bonner Leader Program, Women’s Leadership Living Learning Community
What’s one of your favorite experiences from your time at Chatham?
Sophie Barner: One of my favorite memories was the opening reception for my capstone exhibition. I got the opportunity to curate an exhibition of student work for my capstone project. The opening night was an amazing experience for me, it felt like a culmination of all of my hard work academically and I got to celebrate this moment with all of my closest friends at Chatham.
What are you most looking forward to about graduating?
SB: I am mostly looking forward to celebrating all of my hard work with my friends and family.
What’s next on your horizon?
SB: After graduation, I will be starting a job at a gallery in Buffalo, NY and I also plan on attending grad school in Fall 2022.
Looking back, what advice would you give to your first-year self?
SB: My advice would be to not be afraid to network and introduce yourself to new people. Some of my best internships and other academic opportunities came from simply reaching out to organizations I was interested in working with.
Michael Nizinski
Pronouns: He/him
Major: Human Biology
Clubs/sports/activities on campus: Baseball, American Academy of Physician Assistants, Beta Beta Beta Biological Society, Honors Program, and Pre-PA Club
What’s one of your favorite experiences from your time at Chatham?
Michael Nizinski: Watching the men’s basketball team win the PAC Championship during my freshman year. We all packed into buses to support them at Westminster, and the game was incredibly close. After trading shots with the Westminster student section, Chatham pulled through and we stormed the court to celebrate with the team and coaches. That moment brought the Chatham community together, and that’s what it’s all about.
What are you most looking forward to about graduating?
MN: I’m looking forward to meeting all sorts of wonderful people wherever life takes me next.
What’s next on your horizon?
MN: I’m currently in Physician Assistant school at Chatham’s Eastside campus. Being a Physician Assistant allows me to give back to a system that helped me so dearly in my younger years.
Looking back, what advice would you give to your first-year self?
MN: Be yourself—people will love you for who you are. Trust your instincts. Try new things. You never know when your world can turn upside-down, so be thankful even on the hard days. Trust God’s plan because everything will work out according to the plan that He has in store for you.
Julia Rayburg
Pronouns: She/her
Major: Psychology, Criminology & a minor in Social Work
Clubs/sports/activities on campus: Sexual Respect Committee President
What’s one of your favorite experiences from your time at Chatham?
Julia Rayburg: I feel so fortunate to have had such positive memories looking back at my time in undergrad at Chatham. I met some wonderful people and have felt so empowered by all of them. I really appreciate how kind and caring those around me are, and really enjoyed working with and getting to know all of my professors. I will definitely carry their wisdom and insight with me in life. My favorite memories are the traditional Chatham events like sledding down Chapel Hill or Moonlight Breakfast with friends, but I also really enjoyed my classes (even if they did get really hard)! I can think of so many times where I was sitting in a lecture laughing because my professors made the classes enjoyable.
What are you most looking forward to about graduating?
JR: I am excited to see what comes next for me. I feel like I really learned more about myself during my undergraduate studies, so I am excited to take this new knowledge and apply it wherever the future takes me!
What’s next on your horizon?
JR: I will be starting in Chatham’s Master of Science in Counseling Psychology program this Spring. I am excited to jump deeper into the field of psychology and learn how to become a psychologist.
Looking back, what advice would you give to your first-year self?
JR: Everything will work itself out in the end, even when it feels like everything is going wrong. Don’t be so hard on yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for help because there are so many different support systems and people at Chatham that want to see you succeed!
Madi Reitter
Pronouns: Any pronouns
Major: Sustainability; Natural Resource Management Track, Women’s Leadership Certificate
Clubs/sports/activities on campus: Creative Writing Club and Chatham Student Power
What’s one of your favorite experiences from your time at Chatham?
Madi Reitter: I have so many favorite memories at Chatham, but my most favorite come from my time living in the Women’s LLC [Living Learning Community] my first year. I am so grateful for everyone I lived with and met there. I know the late-night chats, study sessions, and general shenanigans will make me smile for a long time.
What are you most looking forward to about graduating?
MR: Honestly, I’m most looking forward to not having homework anymore and being able to separate my work and personal time better.
What’s next on your horizon?
MR: For now, I’m planning on finding a job in the Pittsburgh area working with plants and the environment in some way and enjoying some family time over the holidays.
Looking back, what advice would you give to your first-year self?
MR: Things that you’re worried about will work out, even if it isn’t in the way you thought they would.
Sierra Short
Pronouns: She/her
Major: Human Biology
Clubs/sports/activities on campus: The Lambda Eta Chapter of the Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society, Love Your Melon, MEDLIFE, Pre-Med Club, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Basketball, Supplemental Instructor
What’s one of your favorite experiences from your time at Chatham?
Sierra Short: One of my favorite experiences during my time at Chatham would have to be obtaining the opportunity to conduct research in a wide range of areas, such as skeletal muscle biology, organic chemistry, and paleoanthropology. Specifically, my last internship and subsequent Capstone research entailed exploring relationships between entheses and muscle anatomy in ape genera. The new information and laboratory techniques I learned throughout this time has been invaluable.
What are you most looking forward to about graduating?
SS: I would say I am most looking forward to applying the knowledge I have gained during my undergraduate education in the next chapter of my story.
What’s next on your horizon?
SS: Pushing into the future, I am excited to continue my education in the field of medicine, as I will be attending medical school next year to become a physician.
Looking back, what advice would you give to your first-year self?
SS: I would tell my first-year self to embrace any opportunity to learn, while carving out time to cherish what is meaningful in life. Even with the importance placed in one’s education, it is crucial to step outside of academics to find yourself. Try to reach out and connect with others who can walk alongside of you throughout your collegiate journey.
Leah Berman-Kress
Pronouns: She/her
Major: Communications and Marketing
Clubs/sports/activities on campus: President of the Jewish Students’ Association
What’s one of your favorite experiences from your time at Chatham?
Leah Berman-Kress: I really enjoyed attending the traditional Chatham meals like Harvest Dinner and Moonlight Breakfast. Because of COVID, I was unfortunately only able to go to one Harvest Dinner, but the food was great and there was a nice sense of community. The Moonlight Breakfast was a lot of fun as well. It’s a nice break from studying and it’s so fun to be served by professors and staff! We’d all commiserate about our stress levels and the amount of work left to do before the semester ended.
What are you most looking forward to about graduating?
LBK: I’m looking forward to entering the workforce full-time. Between classes, internships, and jobs, I feel like I’ve been preparing for this moment for a long time so I’m excited to put what I’ve learned to use.
What’s next on your horizon?
LBK: After graduation I’m going to take a few weeks off and relax. Then I’ll continue to seriously scour job boards. I plan on continuing to work in my current part-time position until I find a full-time job where I can begin my career.
Looking back, what advice would you give to your first-year self?
LBK: One piece of advice I’d give myself is to not take every assignment so seriously. Of course it’s important to complete it to the best of your ability but it’s also important to remember that in the grand scheme of things, one assignment is not going to make or break your college career. Look at your assignments as learning opportunities; if it isn’t flawless on the first try, that’s ok. I’d also suggest that you learn as much from your professors as possible and make an effort to make connections with them. I’ve learned so much from my professors beyond the subject matter they teach. Getting to know them has been a privilege. I’m going to miss seeing so many of my amazing professors on a regular basis. They’ve taught me so many life lessons that I’m definitely going to take with me.
Best wishes and congratulations to all of our December graduates! Learn more about this year’s Commencement ceremony and our viewing options here.