Class of 2015,
“Remember
that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.” - Dalai Lama
I remember at
this point in my Senior year I was focused on what life after Trinity looked
like. I was very fortunate that my
parents covered the cost of my education and I didn’t want to burden them with
additional expense after my graduation.
They say that looking for a job can be a full time job and I committed
to the search with that passion. I was
excited to start building my life after college.
I would spend
hours looking for open positions at companies I had interest in and met several
times with Career Services. I researched
interview questions and discovered the “dos and don’ts” in formal
interviews. My friends and I would talk
about where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. While I enjoyed my last semester I had
realized the journey was ending soon and I needed to plan the next one. As stressed as I was I reflected back to an
internship opportunity I once pursued…..
In 2001 one
of the biggest employers of recent Trinity graduates announced they would be
vising Trinity to conduct on-campus interviews for internships. I remember the excitement of seeing the
announcement and thinking “Yes! This is
what I want to do!” I submitted my
resume and was selected to interview with the firm. I crafted appropriate follow-up questions on
the employer and ran through my educational and previous internship experience
in my head. I. Was.
Ready.
I entered the
interview and was met by two polished professionals. I firmly shook their hand, exuded confidence
(but not too much), provided printed copies of my resume and answered all of
their questions just like I had rehearsed.
After the interview I sent hand-written thank you notes. I thought I had nailed it.
Two days
later I received a generic e-mail thanking me for my time but informing me that
I was not selected for on-site interviews in Houston. I remember reading it over and over, thinking
maybe I was misinterpreting it or it was sent to the wrong person. I finally called my parents crying and
sharing how I didn’t understand that they didn’t select me. I worked so hard on doing everything right
and it wasn’t good enough.
This was the
Spring of 2001. In December of 2000 the
company’s stock had hit an all-time high.
A year later, in December of 2001, they declared bankruptcy. And to this day my family and I still laugh
about the fact that this company (which I am sure you have now realized is
Enron) turned me down…….
I share this
lengthy story for a reason. You might be
receiving rejections letters from graduate schools or companies at this
point. Rejection can be very hard to
accept without it affecting your self-esteem.
However, please remember the old cliché that “things happen for a
reason”. As long as you continue to
drive towards your goals, you will get there.
It just might not be at the pace you want it to be. Have faith in the process and know that in
every experience we have we gain knowledge that helps frame our character and
defines our path through life.
Jennifer
Dewar
