Kevin Coriolan | News Editor

One of my pet peeves is when several people ask me the same question over and over again. Once again, it is that time when I can just see people asking the question that I do not want to answer before he or she even recites the words.

In my life there have been spells when this has happened to me. When I had little to worry about, besides playing co-ed soccer and watching Saturday morning cartoons, people would ask me “What do you want to be when you grow up?” When I was a senior in high school, the question was “Where are you going to school?” Freshmen year, it was “What are you going to study?”

Now as a senior at Buena Vista University (BVU), the biggest question asked is “What are you going to do after college?” This is difficult for someone like me who doesn’t have a specific plan yet. In fact, my entire life has been mapped out up until the present. For 22 years, I have been thrown into some sort of educational institution to grow into a bright, healthy, wise citizen. That is what I am now, but what is the next step?

My next step is applying to be an AmeriCorps VISTA (http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps). VISTA stands for Volunteers In Service To America and is a federally funded program. Service is a central goal in my life, but I am also attracted to this program because there are several positions that are located on college campuses.

Over the past four years, I have met several students who take college completely for granted. Everything from the available wi-fi to the organized cultural events. College is where everyone has the intent to better themselves in higher education; ultimately, this leads to the betterment of the world.

Colleges, though, are the utopian society.

It is appealing to stay on a college campus even after graduating because the benefits are numerous. There are usually decent food options, a weight room, entertaining athletic events, and technology galore. Flu shots occur periodically, and travel is encouraged.

Reflecting on my experience at Buena Vista University (BVU), I have few regrets. There has been so much offered to me that I am a completely different person than who I was as a dazed and confused freshman. I just see so many more opportunities from working on a college campus.

Graphic by Kevin Coriolan