For many seniors, after graduation hits they bid the Alma Mater adieu and leave Champaign to continue on with their lives. Some come back and visit, some stay far away and then some never leave. As students typically have 12-month leases on their apartments, seniors sometimes see that as a reason to stick around Champaign after graduation. Whether it’s because they are lacking a job, still figuring out what to do with their lives, finishing classes, or just in love with Champaign-Urbana, several seniors stay in town after graduation.

“This town is so great and its very peaceful in the summer sometime you just can’t bear to leave,” recent graduate in the college of Media Denise Hibbard said.

For recent graduate Elise Nieman, it was more realistic for her to stay in Champaign then go home.

“I already have a job working at the library here and they let graduates stay on one summer,” Nieman said. “It would take too much time to look for a filler job at home.”

Nieman has dedicated every free moment to job searching, hoping to find something by the end of the summer.

Recent graduate from Nutrition Jackie Boyd is also in the search for a job, although she feels no need to leave Champaign.

“I love this city and I have a really good community down here,” Boyd said. “Without all my activities I don’t really know what I would do. I want to live in Champaign.”

Boyd is spending her summer volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and other religious organizations. She is also staying involved in campus groups, hosting bible studies.

“I have things to do to keep me busy here,” Boyd said.

Not all recent graduates are busy during their time in Champaign, however.

Nick Becharas, who graduated from FAA finds himself pretty bored in the summer.

However, he still hasn’t quite figured out what he wants to do with his life.

“I just got my EMT certification, so I have been looking for job with that and I am thinking about maybe becoming a nurse,” Becharas said.

The one thing he knows is he doesn’t want to do architecture and would still enjoy spending more time in Champaign.

“I also figured that there are a lot more stable jobs opening up for nurses,” Becharas said.

He still hasn’t decided whether or not he’ll continue taking classes this summer. Some seniors had to stay purely to finish credit hours, like Hibbard.

“I also got my pilots certificate so it was hard for me to get enough hours to graduate,” Hibbard said. “I still have a lot to finish up and am working on getting everything done this summer.”

Hibbard enjoys the slow pace of a summer in Champaign but plans on going home nearly every weekend.

“I hope to find a job near home, because I know that’s where my place is right now,” Hibbard said. “When it’s time to become a real person, it’s time to move on from Champaign.”