By Sydney Crandall
Gather. Lift. Launch. A lifetime of intention and purpose put into a three word mission statement for our very own Southern Virginia University. As we began our journeys at SVU, we were placed in a prime environment for the first two words of this statement. The school instills in us the values and gives us the resources in order for us to gather together as one and lift each other up. So how do we complete the last step in our mission statement? The launch is what comes after our time here. It is what we choose to do with the wide open expanse of our lives ahead of us and how we propel ourselves into that future. While far off for some of us, there are those of us who are seniors and have spent the last few years learning, building, and growing and are now preparing to take that next step. The following are a few of our seniors at SVU who share with us what their plans are to “launch.”
Misa Eller
Misa grew up surrounded by influence in her chosen career, as most of her family is in the medical field, impacting her desire to go to Grad School and become a Physician’s Assistant. Further supporting her in the process of making that decision, was the fact that the high school she attended focused on healthcare to a large degree. Through this schooling, she was able to start working at a hospital by the time she was eighteen. Her path was not always set in stone, although it was always within the medical field. Her original plan when coming to school was to become a nurse and then a nurse practitioner. However, as she continued in her education, she found that a PA was more of a fit for her. Misa has found much help in forging her path towards her career through close relationships with her professors here at Southern Virginia University. She credits them with being guides to her, helping her get through her difficult schooling.
Madison Miner
Madison credits her mom for a lot of the drive and motivation she has to get to where she wants to go. Motivated from a young age to strive for what she wants and fight for success, as it won’t just happen, Madison originally planned on going into elementary education once she started going to college. Her plans changed, however, during her Junior year when she was able to visit Washington and Lee University’s Special Collections and The Marshalls Foundation as part of a course that she was enrolled in at the time. Supported by a roommate who saw the passion with which she walked through and looked at the archives, she concluded that becoming an archivist would be much more fulfilling and worth her time than her original plan. She now plans on obtaining one or two internships before she attends graduate school in order to obtain a Masters Degree in Library Science with a focus in Archival Studies. Madison has felt the most support and guidance through her career path through connections. She feels that professors at Southern Virginia University are great at giving advice or finding someone who can if they are not able to. Many have helped her through projects and work at SVU, as well as helped her with future plans and navigating where to go and how to proceed after graduation.
Tanner Gonder
Originally planning on graduating from BYU and becoming a chemical engineer, Tanner’s plans were completely changed after a summer sales stint following his proselyting mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Over that summer, Tanner’s plans changed drastically and led him to instead pursue a double major in Biochemistry and Business. This lofty goal is one that Tanner hopes will lead him to land a medical devices sales job to start him along his path, eventually landing him on the international side of business. Tanner feels that Southern Virginia University has been a game changer for Tanner as through his double major, he is able to stand out among others in his field and open doors that would not otherwise be possible. He credits SVU with helping to give him a leg up in a highly competitive industry, allowing him to have flexibility in future careers.
Elizabeth Edler
Liz grew up well- rounded in many areas, but always maintained a strong interest in agriculture. Pushed to pursue other things, Liv originally planned on studying business and child development, hoping to eventually own a daycare. After experience in that field proved to not be what she originally wanted, she fell back on her love of agriculture once more. Through her hard work she was able to land an internship with the company she is now with as a Productions Associate in their Crop Science Program, Bayer. She also plans on continuing work on her family’s 4th generation farm, hoping to further it with her knowledge. Because Southern Virginia University is not a school of agriculture, Liz became very self reliant in figuring out what she wanted to do and how to do it. However, she had professors that empowered her to decide on what she loved and then pursue it. Her advisor Jared Covington was one who she specifically mentioned as being of a lot of help as she navigated finding her way into such a big company. She has learned through this experience that you don’t have to attend a traditionally large university in order to create opportunities for yourself. SVU taught Liz the power of connections and networking when getting into a field and company, as well as gave her confidence in necessary aspects of any job application, such as resumes and interviews, that specifically helped her in her internship.
What’s Next For These Soon-to-be SVU Grads? was originally published in The Herald on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
