Hannah Blackington sits calmly in a forest green chair looking smart in a mint cardigan and light rust colored capris. Blackington’s eyes are attentive, while her smile is welcoming; nobody can deny that this girl has confidence. This confidence will be a particularly useful tool in the near future to stun the competition in the job market, but first Blackington will flash her smile to the graduating class of 2014 as she grabs her diploma.

As a student in Syracuse University’s (SU) College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Blackington will graduate in a little over a week with a degree in political science. Proud to become an orange alumnae, Blackington, a New York native, describes graduating from her beloved SU as, “Bittersweet, but also the beginning of a new chapter.”

Blackington transferred into SU for the spring semester of 2012 from State University of New York at Buffalo. She says SU had everything she was looking for in a university. “I really saw transferring as an opportunity to conquer new goals academically. At SUNY Buffalo, I really only had time for rowing, and I wanted more out of my college experience. When I arrived at SU, I instantly took advantage of all the activities on campus. I joined the Daily Orange, became a member of The College’s Dean’s Team and signed up to be a first-year forum mentor. I spent time looking at universities that would give me the tools I needed to accomplish my goals and SU was somewhere I could really see myself excelling.”

When describing her fellow classmates, Blackington emphasizes their diligent study habits, “The kids that go here work really hard.” Blackington is not exempt from the studious SU ways; she was part of the Dean’s Team, served as a social media intern for The College of Arts and Sciences, and also earned a prestigious internship in United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office. 

These opportunities were key to building up Blackington’s confidence in her resume, and advises that all SU students should look into what The College of Arts and Sciences has to offer if they want the same self-assurance, “Take every opportunity that you can take, because everyone is connected to each other. It is what will help me when finding real world jobs.” Parting with one last kernel of senior wisdom, Blackington stresses to her peers that they should continually communicate with professors and alumni, “Reach out to Syracuse professors when you need help! I’ve had really good relationships with professors and I was able to talk to them about anything because of that. Alumni are [also] willing to help out and are easy to contact, like through LinkedIn or at a basketball game.” 

Blackington is pursuing a career in public relations and is aggressively interviewing with companies in Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York City. In the meantime, she plans to travel with Ben and Jerry’s corporate officials this summer, scooping ice cream at the music festivals Firefly and Bonnaroo. Although Blackington’s favorite Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor is Vanilla Heath Bar Crunch, we will always know that it is sherbet - orange of course - in her heart.