Where Are They Now? One Year Later: Lisl Knizner

Author: Lisl Knizner

Exactly one year ago almost to the day (time flies) I graduated from college. I’ll never forget that day… partly because it was a milestone in my life and something I’d been working towards for a very long time, but also because it was traumatizing. No really, it was. The same day I graduated I also had to pack up and leave my apartment in my sorority house, say goodbye to my friends, and leave the place I’d come to know as my second home. Talk about a busy day.

As I walked through my empty sorority house for one last time as a student (yes it sounds like the finale of a show like The Hills but this really happened – I promise) I felt like my world was literally being shattered. With no job waiting for me on the other side of graduation what was I going to do now?

After a few months of getting over the fact that I was now actually a full fledged adult, I got myself in gear. I applied for jobs like crazy and started really thinking about where I wanted to go with my life. I knew what I didn’t have… a job, friends that lived near by, an apartment of my own, etc. More importantly though I also figured out what I DID have… amazing friends (even if they’re a little farther away then I’d like), a supportive family and place to live, a college degree, and a clean slate.

It’s taken me awhile to learn how to react to being stuck where I am for lack of a better word. At almost 23 years old living at home with your parents with your nearest friends at least an hour away is definitely not the easiest thing. That’s life though and I’m learning to appreciate the good and the bad. I’ve changed my viewpoint from someone who is the victim of her circumstances to someone who is reacting to her circumstances in a positive and creative way (or at least trying to). While I’ve been mostly jobless for the past year I’ve also gotten to stay present in my friends lives who I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten to see if a full time job had been there. I’ve started to get creative and get back into hobbies that I had no time for during school. I’ve gotten to really take a breath after years of being busy 100% of the time.

So today, a year out, I finally have a part-time job after months of unemployment even though it is nowhere near what I’d like to be doing (but really – it’s not). I have an incredible support system of family and friends. And I have a lot of little resume building projects that one day are going to pay off. I’m counting down the days until I can move on from this interim existence to something more permanent, but until then I’m still extremely hopeful for the future. Absolutely anything can happen and that is all I need to keep going.

**All month we are featuring articles from recent grads and graduating seniors on where they are now. You can read the rest of the articles here. If you would like to submit a post for this segment, read this and/or send us an email at forevertwentysomethings@gmail.com.**