Senior year could not have come faster for Gaels in their last semester. With the end of another school year slowly coming to a close, graduation marks the beginning of the ‘real world.’ Graduates will be starting a new chapter of their lives.

While some have already decided on which graduate schools they are going to, others are still keeping their options open. Others have begun the job search or have secured their position at a company already.

Seniors Tiffany Taylor and Tatiana Quintero are looking to make a difference in the world. The political science majors are planning to spend the next three years in law school, before heading out to conquer the world and lend a hand to those in need.

“When I graduate in May, I hope to go to law school and achieve my goal of being a defense attorney,” Taylor said. “I have always dreamed of being an attorney, and Iona helped me reach this goal. As a trial attorney, I want to be an advocate for those who need representation.”

Quintero hopes to do the same, while eyeing other options that law school offers.

“I plan to attend law school, hopefully moving to D.C., or possibly even intern abroad,” Quintero said. “I really want to work in the Pentagon, it’s always been a huge goal of mine.”

Taylor and Quintero aren’t the only ones looking to make a difference.

“I plan to hopefully get accepted into the police academy for NYS [New York State],” senior Wilson Torres said.

Many Gaels are looking at the different graduate programs available to them after graduation. While some are looking into creating change through speech-language pathology programs, or working in law firms or on Wall Street, others are looking to spark change in the classroom.

“I plan on attending graduate school at SUNY Cortland to receive my masters in Literacy Education,” senior Julie Cuomo said.

For a lot of Gaels, the option to continue their graduate studies at Iona is always open. Whilst Cuomo is applying to graduate programs outside of Iona, another student has already found herself a role after graduation within Iona and looks forward to continuing her studies here.

“I plan on attending graduate school here at Iona and assuming the role of graduate assistant for the Education department,” senior Gianna Bianco said.

Despite those who have their plans decided, many of the Iona community graduating seems to be in favor of keeping their options open.

“I don’t really know,” senior Christopher Torres said. “I haven’t applied to grad school yet, but I have started applying for jobs. I’ve applied for research jobs, and I’ve actually done research over the summer and really liked it. Thought about CIA research. Maybe I’ll read a book and do research on that, or writing. I don’t plan on doing my masters right after graduation, I just plan on working first. For the future, I see myself writing stories or doing research.”

Seniors aren’t the only ones who have thought about life after graduation. Some undergrads aren’t ready to think about that step yet, while others have already mapped it out.

“After I finish my undergrad, I hope to go to grad school and hope to become a cosmetic chemist,” sophomore Summer Pabon said.

While some students plan for attending medical school, law school, graduate school or entering the work force after graduation, other students still don’t have a path set in stone. Whether the graduating class has a plan in mind or not, it is important to remember that graduation is only the beginning and that there are endless possibilities out there.