It’s a common question for many a graduating senior: “What are you going to do next?”

Instead of asking that simple yet broad question, I decided to dig deeper. Many times I have been asked this question I have found it to be extremely overwhelming. It gets me thinking, “What the heck am I going to do next?” So when I interviewed my senior peers, I had them think outside the box, and be creative.

Parker’s quote: “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.”

The first senior I interviewed was Parker Revering. Some insight on Parker: he is a twenty-five-year old student athlete from Alexandria, Minnesota, majoring in management with a minor in finance. He has played on the men’s hockey team here at AIC for his entire college career. As a freshman, he appeared in seventeen games and was named to the AHC All-Academic Team. As a sophomore, Revering appeared in thirty-two games, again named to the AHC All-Academic Team and Krampade/AHCA Academic All Stars. During his junior year, he was named captain while he led the team with twenty-eight blocked shots. Now in his senior year, Revering is a solo captain and plays in every game. He shared his AIC experience, accomplishments, and overall thoughts.

Zippin: What do you immediately think of when you get the question, “What are you going to do next after you graduate?”

Revering: It’s hard because not everyone knows what their plans are going to be. And it could go either way for me, I could continue to play hockey but you never know at the end of the day if you are given an opportunity, there’s only a handful of people who get that opportunity. You never know. And if I don’t get that opportunity, I will get a job… I just don’t know what that would be yet.

Zippin: How do you feel about graduating?

Revering: I am excited to graduate. After four years of hard work, you get to see all that work pay off in the end and get that degree, which is important for the next step in life.

Zippin: What is the next step for you? Grad school? Work? Moving away?

Revering: I plan on playing hockey. I am not sure where that will be yet, but I’m definitely moving back to Minnesota.

Zippin: What is your best memory from AIC?

Revering: My best memory would be probably winning the hockey conference championships in 2019.

Zippin: What is the best class you took in college and why?

Revering: Introduction To Wine was my favorite class. It was actually very interesting and I actually learned a lot, and it was a lot of fun.

Zippin: Were there any specific goals you set for your senior year? What were they?

Revering: I didn’t really have any specific goals, just a few for hockey and to be better from the years before.

Zippin: What are you most proud of in your last year or two?

Revering: I am most proud of graduating and getting my degree in May.

Zippin: How did COVID impact your last couple of years?

Revering: COVID had a huge impact and brought a lot of adversity to life. As captain of the hockey team, it was difficult at times to keep everyone engaged and making sure they were doing everything they had to do during quarantine. You know, we found ways around it, but it changes everything. You don’t have the real college experience during COVID, which sucks.

Zippin: If you could do one thing after graduating, what would it be?

Revering: The one thing I wish I could do after graduating would be to play in the NHL for Minnesota because I am from Minnesota and I grew up loving them and I just think it would be really cool.

Elijiah’s quote: “Work hard. Dream big.”

Next, I interviewed Elijiah Barriga who is also a member of the men’s hockey team. Coming from West Covina, California, twenty-five-year-old Barriga soon graduates with a degree in communications and a minor in business marketing. He shared his thoughts about AIC and his future during the interview. As a transfer freshman from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he played in twenty-six games and was named to the AHC All-Academic team. During his sophomore year, he appeared in twenty-eight games, and increased his points from the previous year. That same year, he again was named to the AHC All-Academic team and the Krampade/AHCA Academic All-Stars. Then as a junior, Barriga played in sixteen games with a five-goal game streak, earning Atlantic Hockey All-Tournament team and Second-Team All-Conference honors.

Zippin: What do you immediately think of when you get the question, “What are you going to do next after you graduate?”

Barriga: I would say I want to be a professional hockey player. The reason I say this is because I have worked my whole life in this sport and I have given everything to this game.

Zippin: How do you feel about graduating?

Barriga: I’m excited to graduate this year. It has been one of my goals to go to college and I’m just a couple of months away from graduation.

Zippin: What is the next step for you? Grad school? Work? Moving away?

Barriga: I’m not sure what the future holds for me yet. I would like to play professional hockey one day. Grad school is also an option for me, and I wouldn’t count that out yet.

Zippin: What is your best memory from AIC?

Barriga: I don’t think I have one best memory, but I think the past three years have been a blast for me winning three Atlantic hockey championships and hopefully, we can make the fourth one happen again this year.

Zippin: What is the best class you took in college and why?

Barriga: I love all my classes. Specifically, I don’t think I’ve had one better than another. I enjoy going to class and one of the big reasons is because the professors at AIC all have been excellent and care about you and your success.

Zippin: Were there any specific goals you set for your senior year? What were they?

Barriga: Some goals I set for myself not just for senior year but all my years here was getting a 4.0 in every semester and doing my best on and off the ice. I also like to carry myself in the most respectful manner and treat others the way I wanted to be treated. Hopefully, I had an impact on someone’s life during my time at AIC.

Zippin: What are you most proud of in your last year or two?

Barriga: I’m most proud of how far I have come. It shows me that anything is possible if you want to put your mind to it.

Zippin: How did COVID impact your last couple of years?

Barriga: As to how hard COVID was the past couple of years, I feel like I grew personally and it made me a stronger person. It was a lot of time for me and I learned a lot about what I like and what I don’t. I think another thing about COVID was that I was home a lot and it gave me a chance to hang out with my family. Being away from them for so long, because of hockey, I would say that was one of the best things I could ask for.

Zippin: If you could do one thing after graduating what would it be?

Barriga: I would say hopefully sign a contract to play professional hockey because of how hard I worked and how much time I spent away from my family for this game that I love.

Ashley’s quote: “Oh shit I get to get a real job instead of being a waitress forever.”

As a fellow classmate and friend, Ashley Lukas lent me some insight on her senior experience.

Zippin: What do you immediately think of when you get the question “What are you going to do next after you graduate?”

Lukas: Oh shit I get to get a real job instead of being a waitress forever.

Zippin: How do you feel about graduating?

Lukas: I am very excited to graduate knowing there will be consistent money at the end with a real job. My job as a waitress sucks. It is inconsistent cash that I am not happy about. Especially with COVID lasting so long, people have been so picky. People are irritable, confused, and dismantled. They don’t know what they want, and it is hard for the customer service life.

Zippin: What is the next step for you? Grad school? Work? Moving away?

Lukas: The next step for me is getting a consistent job. That entails using my degree to successfully get a job that suits me. I want consistent money in my bank account and the only way to do that is to get a job with my degree as a public health advocate. I do want to eventually buy a house and raise a family, but that is in the next ten years.

Zippin: What is your best memory from AIC?

Lukas: My best memory from AIC is in the dorm in my freshman year. That’s how I made a lot of friends.

Zippin: What is the best class you took in college and why?

Lukas: Public speaking was the best class I took in college because that is something I feel is important. I am a loud free-speech confident one minute that can talk her way through anything. Therefore public speaking was my prime choice for classes.

Zippin: Were there any specific goals you set for your senior year? What were they and why?

Lukas: My goals for my senior year entailed graduating on time and finishing with Dean’s list. I obviously want to graduate on time so that I can get a real job faster. I also want to graduate with Dean’s list so it looks good on my resumé.

Zippin: What are you most proud of in your last year or two?

Lukas: In the last couple years, I am proud of overcoming COVID and getting to this point of graduating this May. I have got a happy healthy relationship with my boyfriend and my family. They all love and support me and I am proud to say that we are all happy and healthy.

Zippin: How did COVID impact your last couple of years?

Lukas: COVID impacted me by making me become more aware of how technology can manipulate us and create addiction to social media. I have realized that my phone is everything and if I were to lose it then I would be crushed. Out of quarantine, I have realized that I don’t need my phone as much as I think I do and the act of using it is a privilege.

Zippin: If you could do one thing after graduating what would it be?

Lukas: After graduating, I will take a vacation to the beach and spend a lot of time with taking on new hobbies…

In summary, it is evident that seniors in college have vastly matured since their entry into college. COVID has played an incredibly large role, and as awful as it has been, it has provided our seniors with a newfound understanding of themselves and given them an appreciation of what they have and their families. The seniors all look forward to their future after AIC, but they really don’t know where life will take them.