By Shanice Davis

Features assistant

CSUSM’s very own Nada Sewidan received her B.A. in Literature and Writing Studies with an emphasis in writing last Fall. Anyone who saw her on campus knows she is intelligent, energetic, charming and always on the go.

According to Sewidan, life outside the gates of CSUSM is exciting, freeing and filled with a plethora of opportunities. The hard part is the inevitable job hunting.

“My experience in the real world so far, well I’m an expert at applying to jobs now,” she said.

“Since I had to apply to so many, I can write one heck of a cover letter. You should see my emails after the twentieth job I applied for–spotless!”

Despite learning something new, Sewidan warns others of the stressors that come with the responsibilities of being a new grad.

“Pretty much what I’m trying to say is that finding a job is difficult. Like pull out my hair, eat my weight in chocolate, stress that I’ll have no future and live in a cardboard box difficult…I’m exaggerating, but really!” she said.

Sewidan currently holds a position as a technical writer and researcher for Capright, in addition to an internship as a journalist for a non-profit company, The Borgen Company.

Yet, her dreams don’t stop there. Sewidan has applied to Portland State University with the hopes of enrolling in the dual master’s program and obtaining an M.A. in book publishing along with an M.F.A. in creative writing.

In regards to grad school, Sewidan seems more excited than afraid of the massive amount of work that is sure to come.

“I’m excited to be living in a new place! I’m also excited to be part of a new community. I know that one of my favorite experiences at CSUSM was the community aspect,” she said.

“I made a lot of friends with both fellow colleagues and professors and at The Cougar Chronicle, so I look forward to building those kinds of relationships there as well. I’m really excited to be working on the press and to learn as much as I can in the process.”

“I hope to be an editor for a publishing company, a published writer and since I’m dreaming about the future right now, I hope to someday open my own press,” Sewidan said. “But even if none of those things happen, I’ll be glad that I got to experience the things I did in Portland.”

In 10 years, if all things go sideways, Sewidan said she’d be content with simply being alive and writing.

“If I accomplish none of the goals, because life likes to throw some curve balls around, I’d like to still be writing,” she said.

As for all the soon to be graduates who are interested in grad school, Sewidan had important advice.

“Apply early. Seriously! The application process takes a while, but it’s worth it. Do your research regarding what school you want to go to, what programs are best for you, check out the area too,” she said.

“Is the school located in a place that’s really expensive? Can you afford living there? I thought about going to Boston until I realized it’s one of the most expensive cities to live in, and I’d probably have to live in a cardboard box to be able to go and pay for school there.”

As for everybody else who is over school and can’t wait to graduate, she also advised staying focused.

“Turn stuff in on time and don’t procrastinate. I know I sound like a broken record, but seriously, college is the time to learn how to figure out your schedule and how long it takes you to do an assignment,” Sewidan said.

“This is the time to experiment with that kind of stuff because working the two jobs I have now, procrastinating is not an option.”