What will I do with my degree? That’s the question you may be asking as you review Mizzou’s many academic programs. After graduation, what’s the next step?

You’ll probably start your career — by landing a job or by proceeding to advanced study. About 85 percent of our graduates find employment and 23 percent go on to further education or training within six months of completing an undergraduate program. And of course you’ll have help making these decisions: Mizzou’s career center offers eight career services centers across campus, each focusing on specific disciplines. Off-campus, you may get some help from Mizzou’s network of helpful alumni. Find an alumnus/a …

Here’s what a few of our recent grads are doing:

Dan Voss Chilton, BA ’03 and Nicole Voss Chilton, BJ ’04

Following a long-standing dream and inspired by Columbia’s Ragtag Cinemacafé, Dan and Nicole Voss Chilton opened their own art-house movie theater called The Moxie in their hometown of Springfield, Mo. in September 2005. In 2004, Dan began a blog that chronicled the issues facing the start-up business. The blog bloomed into a major marketing tool with 3,000 to 4,000 hits a day. Dan and Nicole are hoping to expand their business in the future but for now are just enjoying running The Moxie. 

Stuart Spengler, BA ’03 (art)

Stuart Spengler works in Baltimore as a graphic designer for the monthly White Dwarf magazine and other publications of Games Workshop U.S., an American branch of the Games Workshop Group, based in Nottingham, England. The company produces miniature figurines based on fantasy, including the Lord of the Rings movies, and makes rules for playing war games. Spengler says this is his first 9-to-5 job and the hours fly by.

Erin Graham, BS HES ’02 (textile and apparel management)

A top student, Erin Graham completed her internship and was offered a full-time position upon graduation.  It wasn’t long before a Fortune 500 company recognized Graham’s talents and knack for the apparel industry. In 2003, Kellwood Company hired her as account executive for the Liz Claiborne dress line, and she received her first promotion in just six weeks. She was promoted again to brand manager for First Issue Suits, a private label business for Sears also manufactured by Halmode, a Kellwood division.  She was awarded MU’s New Professional Award, which recognizes the achievements of alumni who rise quickly in their professions.

Anne Holden, BA ’03 (anthropology)

Anne Holden is Mizzou’s first Gates Scholar, the Cambridge University equivalent of a Rhodes Scholar. Anne was selected from a field of over 500 applicants to win one of 42 scholarships that reward “the brightest of the world’s young leaders and scholars.” She then earned admission to Cambridge, considered one of the United Kingdom’s top universities, from among 10,000 applicants for graduate admission. Anne currently does doctoral research in biological anthropology at Cambridge.