Grad Students Look Forward to New Opportunities with Emerson Degrees

President Jay Bernhardt, speaking at Emerson’s graduate hooding ceremonies on May 10, reflected on where the newly minted grads might be headed by quoting one of the pop culture’s most daring artists.

“As the late, great David Bowie once said, ‘Go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting,’” said Bernhardt. “That’s exactly where you are now—on the edge of something extraordinary.”

Ready to Write, Edit, Make Movies, and Create Their Own Companies

Before their hooding ceremony on Saturday at the Shubert Theatre, School of the Arts grads were eager for the celebration.

“I’m excited, it feels like a satisfying conclusion on a very creative journey,” said Kadin Smith, who received a Master of Arts in Film & Television, and gave the SOA student address. “With the residencies in Boston and LA, there were master classes, table reads, and those set us up for the semester. I like that it is concluding with this group.”

Smith said he is starting his own production company to continue to develop his career as a writer and producer.

Thanks to the Publishing & Writing program, Tess Rossi actually landed a mentorship at Penguin Random House, and has since turned to freelance work. She thanked Writing, Literature & Publishing Associate Professor Susanne Althoff for letting her know about the opportunity, which was exclusively offered to Emersonians. Rossi is now proofreading children’s books, cookbooks, nonfiction, and more.

“It was three years of hard work and I’m happy to have a manuscript from my thesis that can be sent out,” said Aubrie Michaela Dickson, who received a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.

Dickson added that being a teacher in the EmersonWRITES program was a very valuable experience. “It was a huge benefit for my own work, and was very inspiring from a creative perspective. It gets you ready for teaching creatives and how to lead workshops in the future.”

For Sara Berliner, an MA in Theatre Education & Applied Theatre will open new doors, because she needs it for the next level of teaching. She’s already enrolled in a PhD program for the fall.

“I came to Emerson because I wanted something focused on pedagogy, and while I was here, I learned that I love research,” said Berliner.

The online Pop Fiction program had no comparisons, said D.C. Collins, who feels an MFA will open doors for her. “The program definitely made my writing stronger. I met a lot of people who can direct me in the industry on the creative and business sides.”

The Value of Education

At the School of the Arts and the School of Communication ceremonies, Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies Jan Roberts-Breslin quoted philosopher John Dewey on the importance of education

“Dewey said, ‘Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.’ I know some of you, perhaps most of you, are looking forward to life without homework, and life without tuition payments, but I hope you can understand Dewey’s sentiment,” Roberts-Breslin said. “People who value higher education believe that knowledge, critical thinking and cultivating an open mind leads to a possible salvation for society.”

Furthering her education through the Strategic Marketing program is very valuable for Camillia White. “I knew it was the best school for marketing communication for film. I will hopefully go to an agency and work in the details of marketing, communication, branding, PR, and data.”

Thanks to the Communication Sciences & Disorder program, Emily Bouchard already has a speech pathologist job lined up after graduation. She championed Emerson’s program.

“I really liked the clinical opportunities. I worked at the Boston Children’s Hospital [in-patient department].”

Tamar Gaffin-Cahn is Happy at her current job as an advisor in Emerson’s Career Development Center, but earning a Business Creative Enterprises MA can provide more knowledge to help others, she said. “BCE combines a lot of my interests like social entrepreneurship…Creatives need to learn and understand their industries.”

Receiving an MA in Political Communication aided Samantha Perry in her role as the communications director for a Massachusetts state senator. “It helped me prepare to do media and press releases, and really solidified my love for politics and communication.”

Aidan Rice wanted to go to graduate school to continue his career in baseball career, and he ended up loving the Sports Communication program.

“Professors want to help you find a job and find opportunities in the sports world. Long term it could be writing or content marketing,” said Rice. “The program taught us how to tell good stories.”