Just Landed!

Rye St. Leger

Just Landed! aims to address the problems new graduates face when making the leap to leave the comfort of what is known in exchange for personal growth and assist them in making informed decisions. Some college students find where they are living may not offer adequate opportunities to pursue following graduation. A potential step to address this problem is to relocate for the sake of career or social opportunity. However, new graduates may find themselves unsure if moving is the right decision with roadblocks such as familial, social, and financial ties looming over their decision.

The concept was developed because of my own need for knowledge on the topic of moving for opportunity. In the beginning of the fall semester of 2021, I had made tentative plans to move out of state, yet I felt unprepared. I know I was not the only student who wanted to move for the opportunity other parts of the country could offer me, so I decided to learn more and dive deeper into the process of moving. I learned about the realities of moving and how someone could overcome the obstacles that moving presents. Whether the problems are financial, social, or familial, there are ways to overcome them. 

Even after the research initially concluded, I found myself going back to academic journals, and surveying my fellow classmates to gain a richer insight into how people feel about moving. Surprisingly, many students initially said they would not want to move for the sake of opportunity. After asking why they felt this way, it revealed the most common hurdles students face when confronting the task of leaving what is most comfortable for them. This showed me exactly what to address in my capstone exhibit. I am proud to present ‘JUST LANDED!’ an exhibition to address moving for opportunity!