Clarity

~ Christopher Supplee

I received a lot of insight from the mentor I interviewed, David Raad. He and I took a couple of courses together, so I was glad to see him on the list of mentors coming to our event. We reminisced about our time in the classroom and promised to exchange creative works. I am always glad to have someone read my fiction, but I was unaware that he readapted one of his pieces through multiple mediums: film, graphic novel, and prose. From there, he suggested I make a website and sell myself with a story. I am still contemplating what my professional story should be, but I received a lot of clarity within the last 48 hours since our conversation by looking for jobs I am interested in and imagining how I can market myself to their needs.

Then at the Blooming Together event I had the privilege of meeting Benjamin Coco. He’s another recent alumni. We shared our undergraduate stories and he suggested applying for all sorts of jobs, not only the ones I am initially drawn to. He didn’t expect his first publication to be a scientific article, but he is currently in the process of getting a literary agent and one of his fictional works published.

I was glad to pass down information I received from the alumni I spoke to with the two underclassmen I met before and during Blooming Together. I didn’t think I had as much wisdom to offer as I received, but I shared what I learned from applying to jobs and made sure the underclassmen were included in the conversations we were having. Being able to bridge a connection between the students and alumni was more rewarding than I anticipated.