Senior year can be very intimidating for some and exciting for others.
To gain insight on how seniors feel about graduating and what they value most about Lake Forest College, I interviewed senior, Allan Arabe.
What is your name? Allan Vhal L. Arabe
Where are you from? Philippians
What are you majoring in? MAJOR: International Relations (IR) MINOR: Spanish and Computer Science
What clubs and organizations are you part of? I was part of Latinos Unidos, Alpha Phi Omega, United Asia, ISO, Mock Trial, Circle K, Student Ambassador, and North Chicago Community Program.
Did you ever change your mind on your major throughout the years? Yes. I was going to major in Politics and IR. But changed because of too many crossover courses. I took two years of Spanish before coming here and already knew I was going to minor in Computer Science. Junior year I became interested in Finance, but it’s too late. I wish I majored in Computer Science because having two majors gives me two options. I’d rather be employed in Computer Science or in International Relations.
What are your plans after college? Hopefully, get a job in the Chicago area and look for other options in other places in Illinois. Look for work in surrounding states. If I finish my one-year grace period, I will probably use the money from where I am working to go back to school and make computer science a major or to get a master’s.
What professor has had a big impact on your career choices? Why? I mostly learned from (Associate Professor of Politics) Siobhan Moroney. She got me interested in politics. She covered everything that I would study in global politics in one class. I’m really glad I took her class. It inspired me and made me feel good and know that I was in the right field.
What do you like best about Lake Forest College? I like college in general. It is another process where you can reinvent yourself. LFC helps. They had so many opportunities. I didn’t know that I was going to become the president of Latinos Unidos. Nobody judges you. I was friends with a lot of people from Latinos Unidos and I ended up being the president. They are very welcoming.
What do you dislike about Lake Forest College? Everybody is disinterested in organizations. I came from a school where everybody is mandated to participate in four types of clubs: an active club, creativity club, service club composed of campus and community involvement. Here you will see a meeting where like 80 percent of the people that show up at the meetings are part of the executive board.
If you could go back in time, what would have you done differently? I would have majored in Computer Science because of the job market and minor in Finance. Also, I would have probably started joining clubs earlier.
What is one of the memories you will take with you from Lake Forest? Being elected senior 25 and winning the Make A Difference Award, which is given to an individual who was really involved in community and campus service. It felt good that somebody voted for me and that I was appreciated for the work that I had done.
What advice do you give to the Class of 2019? A. Join a lot of organizations. Go to the Forester Fairs, sign up, and sitck to at least three clubs. B. Never be afraid to use the College’s resources. The one that really helped me was the Career Advancement Center. They helped me with my resume and getting an internship. They had a lot of programs that I wish I could have taken advantage of.
What advice do you give to next year’s seniors? Take your senior seminar or finish your senior thesis in your first semester because you will want to enjoy the last semester in your senior year. Time will fly by. In the last month you might feel very nostalgic. You would want to enjoy your last moments.
