My Next Chapter

Family and I before graduation

While reading a book, have you ever wanted to flip ahead to see what will happen in the future? People compare life to books all the time, but yet we can't get a sneak peek at the future, because it can always change. After graduating from Central in May, I wanted to flip ahead to get a sneak peek of what post college life would be like. I did not imagine spending 3 months at home unemployed. While I did enjoy my time at home spending time with family, I felt like I was wasting my education I worked so hard for. But before I talk about post grad life, let me update you on what happened right after graduation.

The Christ statue in Rio

I had the amazing honor to be a member of the Central College A Cappella Choir for all 4 years I attended Central. Every spring, the choir goes on tour to share our artistic talent. While  had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., where I was able to sing in the National Cathedral, travel around the Midwest on a bus for week singing in places like San Antonio, Texas and St. Louis, Missouri, and traveling to the Greater Chicago area singing in Michigan and the Chicago suburbs. Every 4 years, the choir goes on an international trip, which just happened to be my senior year. We traveled to Brazil, traveling to Sao Paulo, Iguazu Falls, and Rio de Janero, sharing the art of music.We were treated like celebrities everywhere we went to sing. The congregations were so appreciative of us being there. In the Ipanema area, we sang to a standing room only crowd of 750! It made me realize how blessed I was to have the opportunity to sing with this group and share our music. Before we left for Brazil, we organized a shoe drive to the Sao Paulo International Rotary Club. With the Sao Paulo Cathedral as our backdrop, a Cardinal in attendance, we donated over 300 pairs of shoes. You do not have to look far in Brazil to see poverty. By sharing our music and providing the donation of the shoes, we felt like we had made a difference while touring.

In Iguazu Falls, Brazil

Now, I am currently living in West Des Moines and working in Des Moines for a non-profit organization, Employee and Family Resources. As an organization we provide various resources to schools, communities, and employers to make a healthier community. My position is a Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist. Though I have officially been in this position for one month, I can tell you that I love it already. I have learned a lot of great lessons and I work with an amazing, supportive
team! Though, I am the only guy on the team and one of two guys in the building, we all get along great. I'm excited to start this new chapter of my life. While it is hard to believe I have my Bachelors and have a full-time position, I am excited to learn more of what life has to offer for me.

To check out the organization feel free to click the logo to visit the website!

This I believe....

While I was in A Cappella Choir at Central College, we had a weekly tradition of having students share a statement of what they believe in. It could be anything that they wanted. It allowed an opportunity to get know one another better. This is my statement that I made:

 

Hearing what other people believe made me start to think if I could possibly list

the things that I believed in. Being a person who LOVES to make lists, I though

Why not make a list of the things I believed in and go from there.

So I wrote down, laundry detergent, Clorox wipes, and folders, No that’s my grocery list, Les Mis, Lincoln, Argo, No those are movies that I want to buy when they come out. Well, maybe this whole list making thing wasn’t such a good idea. So what do I do next, I look around my room for ideas. Above my desk, I have a mirror. Looking into it, I saw a person I never thought I would see; a senior in college, getting ready to graduate in a couple months. It made me look back at my life see how far I have come. My fellow seniors can agree with me, that who they are today is not who they were four years ago. Looking back at my college career, a specific event came to mind that I would like to share with you. A little over two years ago, I went through a reflection process of my life, to see if who I was, was truly who I wanted myself to be. I realized that the town I grew up in had a large impact of who I was. Exactly two years ago, I told a friend the biggest discovery I made, I am gay. I never knew how big of an impact that coming out would be. I was blessed enough to have a family that was extremely accepting and loved me for who I was. I also discovered how much of a passion I have for treating people equally. Without this reflection process, I would have never discovered this passion of mine. I think most seniors can agree with me, that this year specifically, we reflect so much on our college careers at the things we have accomplished or wished we had accomplished or all the people who impacted our lives in one way or another. I look back at my experience in this choir and remember all of the tours I was able to be part of and how much I have grown as a singer.

One more thing, I was once told by a very wise person, we must look back on our lives in order to see where we have come from and to see who we are today. I am Jacob Stevenson and I believe in reflection.