It’s that time of year. Change is in the air for those graduating and another chapter of life closes. For some this is the first degree after your high school diploma. For others, graduation not only means an Associate’s Degree, but a high school diploma as well. Some graduates will go on to lifelong careers.

Before you go, there’s some things that EvCC teachers want to share with you. After all, they were once graduating students too.

Lori Wisdom-Whitley

Lori Wisdom-Whitley was a social butterfly when she was in college. She went to school the first time at Iowa State University for Elementary Education and minored in Communications. She is now the director of the Honors Program at EvCC and teaches Communications Studies.

Wisdom-Whitley said, “I was very social. I had a very good time when I was an undergrad. I had a very good time.” Graduating to her was something to “check off the list” to become an elementary school teacher. After graduating Wisdom-Whitley said, “Panic set in because I had this great time in college and then it was like oh no I have to get a job. I have to figure out where I want go.”

Wisdom-Whitley’s advice to outgoing students is, “Don’t give up, work hard, sometimes fate plays a role in where you end up. I think that it’s really important to keep our mind open and your options open as far as what you want to be and who you think you want to be. When you start and where you end up are often not the same place so that open mind is really important.”

Kerry Lyste

Kerry Lyste is an EvCC Geography teacher. Once involved in what he called a “very intense” studio program at Western Washington University where he majored in classical music. He was involved in this program for a little over two years when he left the program. He didn’t return to college until he was 31 years old. Lyste then went to college for eight years.

Lyste was on a plane when he got his first job as a teacher. Another passenger sitting next to Lyste offered him a job at Shoreline Community College teaching his class. Lyste wasn’t even finished with his master’s yet. By the time Lyste was halfway through his Master’s Degree, he was hired on at Everett Community College.

The advice Lyste would offer to those graduating is this: “Follow what makes you happy. Follow where your talents are. If you are doing something you truly love the money will come to you. That’s the most important thing. Travel. Take some time off and travel while you can because you won’t always be able to do that. Experience new cultures. It’s a big world. It really changes your perspective. Having said that you should do what makes you happy. Pay attention to what’s going on in the workforce out there. Pay attention to the trends. Try to adapt your skill sets to what those trends might be 10 or 20 years in the future.”

Beverly Anderson

“I was pretty undecided. I felt as though I had several skills but didn’t know if I wanted a

career.” Beverly Anderson is currently teaching yoga at EvCC and has been since 1998. Her college experience was unique in that way that she started in art then went to fashion. She then left and worked for a few years, eventually meeting her husband. They went back to college where she took lifespan courses in Yoga. When she was introduced to yoga she realized, “This is about lifestyle. This is about choices.This is about integrating everything that you are and your personality and skills and talents and developing those. And so, it’s like yoga chose me.”

Anderson later went on to get certifications in Yoga and work for the YMCA, Lake Stevens Community ed., Arlington Community ed. and more. Her advice for graduating students is “simply to apply what you know and don’t give up. Just keep following your heart. Keep following what interests you. The learning doesn’t stop just because you have a degree. Embrace life. If you are always in a hurry don’t get lost in that rush just slow down and really take that time to assess what your talents and skills are and how you can serve. That’s something that you take with you. All the way till the end of your life and that’s how you leave a legacy.”