Graduating seniors reflect on their time at the University of Arizona

BY DESARAE TUCKER @DailyWildcat

As the spring 2023 semester comes to a close, graduating seniors are taking the time to reflect on the last few years of their lives.

The class of 2023 started its college experience with certain expectations, but those quickly changed when the COVID-19 pandemic began during the spring 2020 semester. Many of these freshmen expected college to give them an opportunity to fully form connections with people, but the shift to online classes greatly hindered that.

Lily Anh Zau Cong, 22, is graduating from the University of Arizona this spring with a major in dance and minors in global education and mathematics. Cong moved from Yuma to attend the UA’s prestigious dance program.

Cong said she feels that the UA prepared her for adulthood by helping her become more independent. She also learned how to better advocate for herself with adult decisions.

In some cases, when you go into college for one thing, chances are you end up going a different route. This was the case for Cong, who has been training in ballet since a very young age. She expected to stay in the ballet world when leaving university, but ended up really enjoying modern dance and would like to go that route in her career.

Cong shared that she has accepted a company contract in St. Louis, Missouri, that starts in the fall. Eventually, she would like to move to Europe to dance.

Tempest Athena Keller, 21, is graduating with a major in criminal justice studies and a minor in sociology, shared that she’s nervous about graduation. With no clear plan of what she wants to do after, Keller said she wants to take some time to adjust to adult life without having college and classes to go to every day. While Keller said eventually wants to use her criminology degree to be in forensics, she said that right now, she’s more interested in the sociology aspect.

Since January, she’s been interning at Dismas

Charities, an organization that helps people who were incarcerated adjust back into society. This experience has given her more of an idea of what she might like to do after college.

“Maybe being a social worker or someone who helps the people who have been incarcerated reintegrate into society,” Keller said.

Keller explained that one of her fears about adulthood is that she won’t achieve her goals. She hopes to be in an enjoyable stable situation while making a difference in the world. “It’s scary being in the real world as a full adult,” Keller said.

Lincoln Opara, 22, is graduating with a major in biochemistry and minors in ecology and evolutionary biology. Opara chose the UA because he liked the “small town feel” of Tucson, similar to his hometown, Casa Grande, Arizona.

He explained that college was some of the best years of his life and he was able to learn a lot of lessons that he’ll take into adulthood. Balancing personal life and work life was one of them. Opara said, “You get out what you put in.” Opara suggested spending a good amount of time on academics because, “it is all worth it in the end.”

Opara stated that he wants to take his biochemistry degree and go into the medical field. After graduation he would like to do some internships at his local clinics in Casa Grande. Becoming a pediatrician is his long-term goal. “I found wanting to be a pediatrician a great way in causing real change in people’s lives, and I like working with kids,” Opara said.

Opara said, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.” Opara suggests reaching out to your professors and your TAs and making sure to put yourself out there and take risks.

The graduating class of 2023 went through some stressful years trying to navigate their way through college but have finally made it to graduation.

“It’s not about following the herd. Invest in yourself to make the choices that best suit you,” Cong said.