While students prepare for finals week and Christmas, another group of students is preparing to finish their college career: the class of 2015 winter graduates.
Graduation will conclude the fall semester at Oklahoma Christian University on Dec. 18 with two ceremonies.
The different colleges will have separate times for graduation ceremonies. At 10:30 a.m., College of Liberal Arts and College of Engineering and Computer Science will have their morning commencement in Hardeman Auditorium.
In the afternoon, College of Biblical Studies, College of Business Administration and College of Natural and Health Sciences will hold commencement in the same location at 2:30 p.m.
Over 200 undergraduate and graduate students will receive diplomas this year. Compared to summer graduation, winter graduation has significantly more graduates.
After graduation, students may start their career or pursue a higher level of education. According to Associate Registrar Karen Driskill, it is important for students to order their official transcripts. They may order them at Oklahoma Christian registrar’s website.
The registrar office has already submitted orders for the graduating students’ diplomas. Students can expect their diploma sometime in January. Students can either pick up their diploma or have it delivered to them. The office will ship internationally for international students.
“If they’ve gone home then we’ll mail them to the student,” Driskill said.
With graduation, many students have started preparing for future careers.
Driskill has some tips for graduating students to land jobs following graduation.
“They should get a resume going,” Driskill said. “And they should be applying jobs, maybe get some references on campus.”
Jessica Thompson, senior public relations student, is graduating this December and looking for jobs in public affairs.
Although it is not easy to land a job before graduation, students must be persistent in sending out their resumes and applying for jobs.
“I have not landed a job. I sent resumes, at least five resumes a day, out to agencies and corporate organizations.” Thompson said. “So, it’s a lot of work. It’s kind of stressful, but it’s something you have to do to find a job.”
Kexuan Zhang, senior general business major student, is also graduating in December. Zhang has already secured a job in her home country, China. After graduation, Zhang will go back to China and work in the company where she interned during the summer.
“I did several internships during past summers,” Zhang said. “I knew it is not easy to find a job immediately after graduation. So, I have been preparing for a long time. The company I’m going to is the same one that I did an internship at in summer.”
Driskill has been working as an Oklahoma Christian registrar for 19 years. She has attended approximately 50 graduations and said she always enjoys seeing the graduates walk across the stage, but it is a bittersweet time for her as well as the students.
“We always are excited.” Driskill said. “We love graduations. It’s a very exciting time for us. We are sad to see people graduate of course, but we want to see our students succeed.”
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