Unconventional postgraduate plans

The date has been circled on many seniors’ calendars. For the graduating class of 2010, May 16 marked the end of their academic career at Syracuse University.

For most, four years have come and gone quickly. Now, it all comes down to graduation, when a new beginning occurs. Whether it takes place in new cities, new states or new countries — geographic changes are in store.

Photo: Darren Benda and Didier Morais

Meet the graduates

Watch videos of these Syracuse students and their future plans:

• Cameron Hoellrich, Americorps, Palm Beach County, Fla.
  
• Jamie Greene, Macy's Merchandising Group, New York City, N.Y.
  
• Jessica Rosenhaus, Teaching abroad, Sanremo, Italy
• Aneesh Saxena, ESPN, Bristol, Conn.
  

But with a struggling economy, traditional postgraduate employment opportunities have become tougher to secure. Jessica Rosenhaus, Aneesh Saxena and Cameron Hoellrich are some of the recent graduates abandoning traditional opportunities for something more unconventional.

Rosenhaus, a former entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major, chose not to pursue her academic field. She decided to teach abroad in Italy. She spent last spring studying abroad in Florence, Italy, and now will be returning to teach English in day camps for at least 10 weeks.

“I saw the opportunity online, and since I completely love the country altogether, I’ve decided to go back and give back to Italy what it gave me,” Rosenhaus said. “I love kids, I love working with children and I think they have great things to teach us as well, which is why being a teacher is something that I wanted to pursue.”

Saxena opted to polish his résumé domestically and landed an internship starting in the fall with ESPN in Bristol, Conn.

The former sport management and broadcast journalism major turned his four years of hosting, anchoring, reporting and producing at campus outlets, such as Z89 and Citrus TV, into a production internship. The internship is 12 to 13 weeks, and he will be working 540 hours.

“I’m excited for the opportunity," Saxena said.

Hoellrich will be leaving the friendly confines of his hometown, Syracuse, to gain professional experience with AmeriCorps in Palm Beach County, Fla.

Not only will Hoellrich be escaping the snow, but he will be teaching disadvantaged children and adults to read.

“It seemed like a great fit for me, and it will be a great opportunity for me after college,” Hoellrich said. “I have a psychology background, so it should be a fulfilling experience to understand psychology before I head to grad school somewhere else in the country.”

Jamie Greene will be making the immediate jump into the work force, as she has accepted a job with Macy’s Merchandising Group in New York City.

Greene, a former retail management and information studies and technology major, will be moving from her hometown of Livingston, N.J., to work in the product development department at Macy’s.

“I landed my dream job in New York City, where I will be working as an executive trainee," Greene said. “I’m really excited about going there. The Whitman School has really helped me foster my retail knowledge and prepared me for this job.”