rystal Davis is counting down the days until graduation.

Davis, who majors in advertising and sociology, will receive her degree on May 6 alongside all of Western’s spring graduates.

She can’t wait.

The senior from Queens, N.Y., plans to move to either Chicago or New York after graduation and plans to find a job in web design or graphic design.

Davis has already begun looking for jobs and has heard back from a few companies. But she said she isn’t sure that she wants to go where those jobs would take her.

“It’s a matter of getting a job in the right place at the right time,” she said.

Davis said she knows advertising is a competitive field, so she started gaining experience early. She worked as a summer intern for Image West, Western’s student-run advertising company.

She is also freelancing by working on Web sites.

“I’m ready to get out there and take on a piece of the world,” Davis said.

Brittany Fausey has had a busy life on the Hill, but she, too, is ready to move on.

Fausey, a corporate and organization communications major from Jeffersonville, Ind., is a Spirit Master, a member of Alpha Omicron Pi, and the director of academic and student affairs in Student Government Association.

“I feel like I’ve done my fair share at Western and I’m comfortable leaving,” she said. “But it’s nerve- wracking to not know where I’ll be.”

Fausey now has an internship with congressman Ron Lewis, and hopes to continue working for Lewis after graduation as a sales representative.

Her job would be to travel and speak on the

congressman’s behalf. Her supervisor at the internship got her the interview for the job. Fausey said the experience at her internship has helped her.

“It has confirmed my level of professionalism,” she said.

Fausey has also had an internship at Todd and Boeckmann Law Office, and plans to attend law school if she doesn’t end up working for Lewis.

Most college graduates pray that they find any job, but in certain fields, graduates can afford to be a little more picky.

Steffanie McKinney of Greenbrier, Tenn., will graduate in May with a nursing degree.

She has worked at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville this semester to complete her practicum, or hands-on experience at a hospital.

McKinney hopes to work in Nashville after graduating, and she said she wouldn’t mind going back to Centennial.

“I know nurses are in demand, so I’m not scared about finding a job,” she said. “I’m just scared about finding the right job for me.”

McKinney said the clinicals required of students in the nursing program have prepared her to work in the field.

McKinney is a member of the Kentucky Association of Nursing Students. After graduation, she’ll have to take the test required to be certified as a nurse – the NCLEX.

But until then, she’s looking forward to that spring day when she’ll wear that cap and gown.

“I can’t wait for graduation,” she said. “I’m really excited.”

Reach Emily Salmon at features@wkuherald.com.