Erin Holahan, a 2008 Geneseo graduate, is currently working for National Community Church in Washington, DC. She manages Ebenezer's Coffee House as well as working on other aspects of their ministry and public relations. One aspect of Geneseo life that she cites as integral to her success thus far is her involvement with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. "[It] was very important in my career right now because taking on different leadership roles [within the fellowship] prepared me for what I do now, which is basically managing a coffee house and interacting with people." This has translated in general to interacting with people in this ministry, hiring and firing people, as well as dealing with interpersonal relations in the best way possible.

One specific event in DC that reminded Erin of her times at Geneseo was at a staff meeting planning for a sermon series for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The concepts discussed reminded her of an outreach night coordinated by InterVarsity that had events that suited people's personalities. "Even though it's not the same place, or the same way, the principles are the same. It's not a one place kind of thing; the whole world functions in the same way."  

Another opportunity that Erin took advantage of during her time at Geneseo was taking management classes, especially Management 100, which she said has helped especially since she wasn't a business major. However, she does say that perhaps minoring in business instead of taking random classes would have been beneficial.

In addition she says, "I should have done more stuff with clubs on campus. I was only involved in IV when I should have been gaining a broader knowledge of the overall campus culture."

Her part time job while in school helped prepare her for managing her own time effectively. When I asked her if her degree in English was beneficial, she said, "You wouldn't think so but there's a ton of stuff to do behind the scenes that has to do with writing. I've used it more than I thought I would. It's important to make sure things are written correctly so people don't think you're stupid."

Overall, Erin's advice to graduates seeking jobs is to "keep an open mind about what can happen. I talked about moving to DC but I wasn't serious about it... Don't be afraid to apply for a job you don't feel qualified for or that you think will stretch you too much. And most importantly, don't be discouraged when timing doesn't suit you."