Cameron VanDyke, an economics, Spanish and ACT-In major, will begin working at Lockton Companies, which is located on the Country Club Plaza in downtown Kansas City, Mo. Lockton is an international insurance brokerage firm. VanDyke will be participating in Lockton’s Associate Account Manager Program.

“I was very fortunate in my job search process. To be completely honest, I stumbled upon Lockton by googling ‘Best companies to work for in Kansas City,’ because I had already decided that I wanted to stay in this area,” VanDyke said.

Kansas City is one of the biggest business capitals in the Midwest and offers a wide variety of for-profit opportunities. Finding the correct fit has changed with the use of technology because of networking platforms such as LinkedIn or even a simple Internet search of the company’s reputation.

“The program appealed to me because it offers a very smooth transition from college life to the workplace. I appreciate how much the company invests in its trainees by implementing a classroom setting for the first six months,” VanDyke said.

The Associate Manager Program at Lockton is specifically designed for those who have just graduated from undergraduate institutions, and it assists with easing into Lockton’s business practices and culture. VanDyke is excited for this new chapter of her life but also has some reservations.

“My entire life I have been most focused on school, and it is exciting that I will be working toward a different purpose in just a few short months,” VanDyke said. “I am sad that I will not see my friends from Jewell quite as often. However, I am excited to be staying in the Kansas City area so I can still visit and keep in touch.”

Kate McFerren, who will be graduating with a BA in communication and marketing, is another senior student beginning work after graduation in the Kansas City community.  While McFerren has not yet chosen a place of employment, she is hoping to work as a video editor for a global marketing agency. She learned of opportunities at VML, a digital marketing and advertising agency, through the Career Mentor Program offered in the Office of Career Development and Internships on the Hill.

McFerren found that the autonomy that her professors gave her was the most influential aspect of determining her current career goals.

“The individual style of the digital and art classes made them seem like independent studies where I could pursue passions and skills I am most interested in. Also I believe the CTI program will help me immensely in life in general,” McFerren said.

McFerren has plans of living near the river market and exploring a more urban environment.

“I am looking forward to having more free time and pursuing hobbies as well as decorating an apartment and living on my own,” McFerren said.

McFerren said she has intentions of coming back to Jewell and staying in touch, especially because she is graduating one year before her traditional class.

“I know I will be close, but it won’t be the same as living on campus. I hope I made the most of my time here in every aspect,” McFerren said.

Lindsey Pollock, an elementary education and ACT-In major is moving to Park Hill, Mo. to begin teaching in the Park Hill School District. In addition to graduating, Pollock is getting married to Tyler Stevens, class of ‘14, in July.

As as education major, Pollock’s job search began in January. She applied to various school districts throughout the Kansas City area and received two offers. Pollock chose Park Hill, and she hopes to teach the second grade.

Pollock feels like the education program has equipped her for the real life setting she will enter in August.

“The Education Department at Jewell is rigorous, so I feel very prepared to be a teacher next year,” Pollock said.

She also said that much of the growing and learning she recieved at Jewell was outside of the classroom.

“I have learned so much by being a resident assistant, being involved in Greek life and many other organizations,” said Pollock.

However, she does not plan on stopping her education at Jewell.

“Hopefully within a year or two I will be getting my masters degree in the field of elementary education. Although I have always struggled with change and am concerned about leaving some of my best friends and leaving this amazing place I have called home for four years, I am of course excited to get married, live on my own and teach,” Pollock said.

The Planetary Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing both awareness of the space program and astronomical research in general, estimates that NASA needs at least $1.5 billion per year to function at full capacity, but funding has run dry.  Despite its relatively low cost operation relative to other government programs, with the Department of Defense and energy efforts costing tens of billions of dollars—its budgets have nonetheless been among the first to dwindle.

NASA is now left with $1.36 billion, and as a result, the agency is often left to rely upon Russia for assistance.  No longer able to support the immense sums needed to build their own transport vehicles, astronauts in the International Space Station (ISS) must now either look abroad or to private companies to arrive at their destination.  However, increasing hostility between Russia and the United States may put this system and the entire space program at risk.

While the relationship between the two countries is mostly symbiotic because Russia relies upon the United States for solar power technology that they lack, the underlying tension between their countries is never truly ignored.  Perhaps the most notable example lies within an April 2014 tweet by Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, which infamously “suggest[s] that the U.S. [deliver] its astronauts to the ISS with a trampoline.”

However, it is extremely unlikely that Russia will resort to extreme measures.  This instance nevertheless concerns many within the field, with NASA suspending all “non-essential contact” with Russia and with increasing questions over whether the United States should rely on a foreign country for its own space program.

While America is already beginning to initiate contracts with three private companies, SpaceX, Sierra Nevada and Boeing, a full grant has not been made, selection has not been narrowed to a single company and even if significant progress were to be made, a truly independent NASA mission would not come until 2017, if not later.  Even then, preparations are underway to develop an American-made equivalent to the Russian rocket engines mainly used by the private companies.

The House of Representatives is beginning to increase the budget for the space program among these rising international tensions.  Though these raises might not allow NASA to reach their 2017 manned mission deadline, it should allow preparation for a Mars mission within the next 20 years and will also fund the new James Webb Space Telescope, meant to replace the aging Hubble Space Telescope and in 2018.

These measures might bring a new possibility to the space exploration discussion—that of seeking signs of life on Europa, one of Jupiter’s famous Galilean moons.  Currently, only one mission—the United States’ “New Horizons”, extends to the outer ranges of the solar system, and should that program’s 2017 mission to Pluto fail to be approved, exploration of that area would stop.  But Europa boasts the highest opportunity for life in the entire Milky Way galaxy, piquing the interest of astrobiologists and motivating Congress to earmark money for a potential mission there.  Scientists are already brainstorming ideas for potential Europa visits, meaning that this moon might just be what will give new life to the space program as well.

“I don’t understand the whole political party process,” said the previously esteemed editor. “My political party is any one with frat boys and red solo cups.”

Readers of her informative and opinionated pieces were confused by this proclamation. An open forum broke out among the masses as they began to question Smith, but administration quickly arrived and restored the peace.

“In this upcoming election I will be supporting Missouri’s own Todd Akin,” said Smith. “He will lead our country to a better state of being through his knowledge of politics, human rights and the female anatomy.”

Her faculty adviser did not comment on Smith’s sudden confession. However, sources report that Smith is now in hot pursuit of her MRS degree while letting her poli-sci studies take the backseat.

When questioned about plans after graduation, Smith said, “I can’t wait to marry the man of my dreams . . . and his trust fund. I want to make a difference in this world, and my degree will allow me to be a philanthropist as well. You can’t imagine how rewarding it will be to serve on the country club’s executive board or to be the standards chair of the homeowner’s association.”

Witnesses have divulged information regarding the fraternization between Smith and Brett Stone, sophomore and active member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. The potential couple has yet to make a formal announcement, but students are anticipating a sequel to Smith’s proclamation on the Quad.

The museum is a self-guided tour of events from the conception of the war in 1914 to its end in 1919. The main exhibit incorporates primary sources such as journals, postcards and clothing with simple commentary and insightful graphics.

I went on a Wednesday, mainly because tickets were only $7 compared to their normal $14, but I still can’t stop thinking about the poppies and the trenches.  The flowers are the first thing you see upon entering the museum: a field of 9,000 bright red and yellow poppies under a glass bridge.  Each one of these tiny flowers represents 1000 people. In total, they represent the 9 million human lives lost during the First World War. Then there are the trenches. The trenches are six different recreations of life in trench warfare. Each one features soldiers with a soundtrack of their letters home and enemy fire. Most require you to stick your head into a small box in order to isolate you from other noises and capture your attention. It’s uncomfortable, but effective.

I was disappointed when I discovered I couldn’t get a guided tour of a museum, as they are only offered on Saturdays at 11:00 and 1:00 and are usually reserved for school groups. Since I couldn’t make it on a Saturday, I opted for the audio guide. The guide was nice, but it did not compare to the specialized insight of a docent. The crew of older, white men in blue collared-shirts and khaki pants positioned throughout the museum was much more valuable. I found one man who explained to me the life, career and death of 10 World War I fighter pilots. Two Germans had gone on to be pilots for Hitler. Many perished in World War I or later conflicts. He also pointed out a six-inch, slim nail in the corner of a glass case. This was the most deadly weapon in the museum. Pilots would carry these nails in planes and drop them by the bucketful on enemy trenches, oftentimes piercing the top of an enemy soldier’s head and continuing into his body. Or, if he was lucky, the nail would merely pierce his foot to the bottom of the trenches. It is insights like these, that only an in-person historian can provide, which separate museums from documentaries and virtual tours.