Armed with their master’s and doctorates, graduate
students completing their studies this June will be offering their
finely-honed skills to various sectors of the community.
With a master’s degree in fine arts from the School of
Theater, Film and Television, Rodney Scott said he is excited about
graduating after spending seven years as an undergraduate and
graduate student.
“I’m ready to jump out into this world and show my
talent, and I’m also ready to get paid,” he said.
Though Scott is graduating as an actor from the theater
department, he said his passion has always been in directing.
He directed two plays and performed in one during the recent
UCLA Theatrefest from June 5 to 8 in Macgowan Hall.
Scott said he is planning to continue writing the script for his
play, an action comedy about the history of black martial arts,
while simultaneously teaching theater classes.
“My long-range goal is to produce and direct plays.
“¦ Teaching is a way of giving back to the community,”
he said.
Scott added that his teachers prepared him well and that he is
going to miss them after having spent 14-hour days with them.
“The 9-to-11 schedule can get tiring after three years,
but in the end, it’s rewarding. I’m confident with my
abilities, and I’m ready to set this industry on fire,”
he said.
Some students are planning to pursue teaching as a full-time
career.
Paul Jung, who is graduating with a Ph.D. from the mathematics
department, will be teaching undergraduate math courses at Cornell
University as part of his post-doctoral fellowship, sponsored by
the National Science Foundation.
Jung said he is looking forward to teaching his first two
courses ““ multivariable calculus for engineers and
mathematical analysis ““ and that he has had a valuable
experience at UCLA, despite difficulties with the workload.
“It’s been rough, at times, with the intensity of
the work and trying to figure out what you like best, but
I’ve had fun and it’s been a good experience. I would
definitely do it all over again,” he said.
Jung added that when he first entered the program, he was just a
regular student learning the material. His dissertation advisor
helped him develop into a mathematician, Jung said.
“One thing I learned from the whole dissertation process
is what it takes to become a mathematician, to be able to put
things succinctly,” he said.
Other graduating students are eyeing academic publishing in
their fields of study.
Having finished her coursework early, political science doctoral
student Jennifer Kibbe is now at the Brookings Institution in
Washington, D.C.
She is working on turning her dissertation, which will address
presidential decisions to overthrow governments in other countries,
into a book as part of her post-doctoral fellowship.
The two-year fellowship, she said, will give her some breathing
room to get a teaching job she wanted.
Kibbe said funding problems in her department did not greatly
hinder her graduate school studies as much as they could have.
She attributed this to a particularly good experience with her
advisor.
“My advisor gave me continual encouragement and really
constructive criticisms during the five to six years that
I’ve known her “¦ My relationship with her was probably
the most beneficial part of my education at UCLA,” Kibbe
said.