I had the pleasure of interviewing Alyssa Serra who recently graduated from Millersville University in May of 2022. Serra graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education which means she is eligible to teach Pre-Kindergarten to grade four. Currently, Serra is working as a second grade teacher at Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School. Like everyone else, Serra was over the moon to graduate college and move on with her life. However, being out in the real world is not all that it is cracked up to be.

Serra had a lot of insight to share when it came to her personal college experience. I asked Serra what was the most valuable thing that she learned while being in college. Serra says, “the most valuable lesson I learned in college is to value my time and relationships with others.”Serra shared with me that when she began college, she feared that she would not find friends that she could create close bonds with like the friends that she has back home. Shortly after being at Millersville, she was able to find individuals who she shared  a close bond with. Looking back she says, “the bond I created with all of my college friends is like no other, they experienced me on a day to day basis with all the emotions that only my family has seen. During college, I don’t think I realized how vital and important these people were in my life and how much I valued them and our close relationship. After college ended and I began not seeing them every day, my life changed drastically. I wish during college I cherished them and our memories more. Now, when I spend time with them every few months I truly enjoy and value seeing them.” 

I also posed Serra with the question as to whether she learned more inside or outside of the classroom during her college experience. Serra revealed that she has learned more outside of the classroom during college. This is partly because Serra’s major required field experience in each of her college years. Being able to do field work allowed her to, “see and experience things hands on and talk to a teacher who was currently teaching.” Being outside of the classroom was, “refreshing to see what her future would actually look like.”

Serra and I began to talk about the obstacles that come with having a real job post grad. Serra explains that she, “wishes that someone had helped me prepare for post grad life.”  Being out of school she realizes it has been challenging to manage her time. When you’re in the real world, for her, it means working Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. which makes it harder to ever have time for yourself. She feels that her time is “not managed correctly and that I am constantly focusing on work or thinking ahead about what needs to be done for work.” 

We ended the interview on a positive note by discussing what she would tell a future undergrad today if she could. Serra says, “cherish all the time you have during these short four years and get your work done with very little procrastination.”