2 graduating seniors’ post-graduation plans defy expectations
After being one of the top three academic achievers at Knoch High School, being named prom king and being accepted into all of colleges he applied to, recent graduate Kevin Justi’s enlistment into the U.S. Air Force wasn’t exactly what his peers expected.
To him and some of his family, however, the decision isn’t a total zag — Kevin’s older brother is in the Marines, and the Air Force offers opportunities to put a lot of Kevin’s educational background into action. So despite not being involved in any military organizations while in school, Kevin said he is looking forward to diving in over the summer.
“It’s more technology based and I like to work with hands and my head,” Kevin said. “I think the Air Force is the best opportunity for that stuff. I think it appeals more to the academic.”
A student a little north of Kevin is also taking a different approach to his post-graduation plans — but his intentions also add up when taking his goals into consideration.
Eli Snyder, a graduating senior at Butler Senior High School, plans to attend Abertay University in Dundee, Scotland, in the fall, which will mark the first time the lifelong Butler resident will travel overseas.
Eli said his thought process for his college search started with the idea that he wanted to experience a new place, with his intended major of computer science and the price of tuition being secondary.
“I knew I wanted to go far, because one of the things about college is it's a chance for you to see new places and get out of your comfort zone,” Eli said. “I'm going to spend a lot on college no matter what. I could go to another country and get completely new life experiences. It's something new for almost the same prices. It's really just the choice.”
Kevin said joining the Air Force was a decision that came to him even after pursuing higher education plans; he said he applied to several universities before even speaking with an Air Force recruiter.
What sold Kevin on joining the Air Force was the focus on avionics and computer science, which were subjects Kevin considered pursuing through higher education.
“I was on the track, but it wasn't exciting me necessarily, then I have a couple friends and my brother join, and I didn't want to rule it out,” Kevin said. “I talked to an Air Force recruiter and through talking to him I realized that was something I was interested in.
“My parents were super supportive, but they were just as surprised.”
Kevin is on track to go through basic training in August at Lackland Air Force Base, a military base in San Antonio, Texas.
The possibility of having a career outside the military following his time in the service also appealed to Kevin.
“My goal is to be a flight engineer, specifically being on the plane and maintenance, just ensuring that these cargo planes function,” Kevin said. “I'm just looking to get into something where I can go into something civilian after, or something I can make a career out of.”
As the number three academic achiever at Knoch High School, Kevin spoke at his school’s commencement ceremony on Wednesday, May 28. In his speech, he bid his fellow graduates a farewell.
“I think it’s going to be a good opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself,” Kevin said. “Looking forward to going in there and getting started.”
Eli’s post-graduation plans hinged mainly on what schools he got accepted to in the United Kingdom. He applied to five universities there — Edinboro, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff and Abertay — and said he chose Abertay based on its price point, and its reputation for computer science education.
Eli already interns with Butler Senior High School’s IT department, and he said he hopes to continue developing those skills in college.
While the concept of going to a country more than 3,400 miles from Butler is slightly intimidating, Eli said that distance is hardly a difference from moving across the United States to attend university. He will be farther in distance from the place he knows, but not any further from communicating with anyone he would like from Scotland.
“The way I'm looking at it, there's not much of a real difference between it and if there's a six or seven hour drive away,” Eli said. “The ease of communication, if there's anyone I need to talk to, I just send them a text, a DM. The distance is there, but it matters less than it ever has.”
Another perk of going to a university in the UK is the possibility for Eli to earn citizenship there. He said a person needs to live in the UK for five years before applying for citizenship, so in the event he spends four years in college over there, he would already be 80% there toward citizenship.
Over the past few months, Eli already has made progress toward establishing a base in Dundee. On May 6, Eli said he found an apartment to live in with some other students that is about a 10-minute walk from campus. He still had to handle getting a visa, have a meeting with an administrator from the college, set up bank accounts, insurance and potentially get a driver’s license for the UK.
Although the change in scenery and culture may be major for the Butler resident, Eli said he does not feel intimidated by leaving his hometown for a new place. If anything, it’s just the start to another chapter in his life.
“Realistically, we're all graduating; part of graduating and moving on to college is the fact that you’re not going to see many people,” Eli said. “My situation is really only different in name. I also want to make it not a big deal.”
