Lily Huynh/ The Cougar
For students, graduation feels like a finish line. Caps fly, photos are taken and the next chapter is supposed to begin immediately. But for Larsha Flowers, life after graduate school looks less like a straight path and more like a season of reflection, patience and growth.
Flowers, the former executive editor of Cooglife Magazine, earned her master’s degree in communications in December 2025. Unlike the bright-eyed optimism she felt after finishing her first undergraduate degree in 2019, this graduation came with a different mindset shaped by experience, setbacks and resilience.
“I feel like I could overcome anything now,” Flowers said. “Graduating right before COVID the first time was the worst possible time. Jobs were disappearing overnight. This time, I wasn’t scared in the same way. I had already been through uncertainty.”
That first post-college experience changed how she views life after school. Instead of feeling rushed to have everything figured out, Flowers now sees graduation as a transition rather than a destination.
The biggest surprise was how much the difficult season during undergraduation prepared her for this one, Flowers said.
“Back then, I questioned everything,” Flowers said. “Now I navigate this season differently. It’s more peaceful.”
However, one moment made the reality of graduation truly sink in. During her final week of classes, Flowers sat between buildings on campus watching students walk to lectures and study for finals.
“I realized this was the last time I’d be in an ecosystem like this for a very long time,” she said. “When you finish undergraduate program, you think you’ll come back for grad school. But when grad school ends, it feels final. I just sat there for a while taking it all in.”
While many assume graduate school is simply a continuation of undergraduate education, Flowers described it as a completely different experience driven by independence and self-direction.
It’s not professors lecturing with slides but rather a discussion. Students lead conversations, challenge ideas and shape their own research, becoming real self-starters, Flowers said.
Her research focused on mindful digital storytelling, a niche that now defines how she markets herself professionally.
“I can position myself as an expert in mindful storytelling because everything I studied centered on that,” Flowers said. “Graduate school helped me turn a passion into a specialization.”
Still, the transition into the workforce hasn’t been without challenges. While networking with professors and campus professionals has opened doors, the job search remains a process.
“What helped most was learning how to build relationships,” Flowers said. “That’s something I didn’t fully understand during undergraduate.”
Beyond résumés and portfolios, Flowers said grad school reshaped how she views success and identity.
“In the U.S., what you do becomes who you are,” she said. “But in many other cultures, your job isn’t your identity. Now I focus more on my character, how I show up in the world, not just my title.”
Her leadership experience at Cooglife also played a major role in preparing her for professional life. Overseeing more than 60 writers, photographers and designers gave her hands-on management experience rarely available to students.
Balancing graduate coursework with magazine production forced Flowers to master time management and problem-solving.
“I had never managed that many people before, it taught me how to communicate with different personalities, make executive decisions and stay disciplined with deadlines,” Flowers said. “No one tells you exactly what to do in grad school. You set your exam dates, choose your committee, design your research. CoogLife was the same way. You’re given a responsibility and expected to lead.”
For undergraduates preparing to graduate, Flowers offered practical advice rooted in her own pivots and career exploration.
“Try internships or jobs aligned with what you think you want to do, but also try something completely different,” she said. “Sometimes you only like something because it’s all you’ve known.”
She also warned against rushing into graduate school simply because a job hasn’t come through.
“Graduate school shouldn’t be a consolation prize,” Flowers said. “You need to know what you’re passionate about because you’re steering that journey yourself.”
Perhaps the most important lesson she shared was learning to separate personal dreams from outside expectations.
Flowers wishes someone had told her that there would come a point when she should stop caring so much about what her parents or society expects.
“At the end of the day, the only constant in your life is you,” Flowers said.
Now, as she navigates the waiting season between graduation and her next professional step, Flowers is embracing the present rather than rushing toward the future.
“You can plan for tomorrow, but you don’t know what tomorrow will look like,” she said. “Find joy in today. Work on who you are, not just your résumé.”
For students standing on the edge of graduation, her journey offers a reminder that life after school isn’t about having everything figured out. It’s about growth, patience and learning to trust the process.
Sometimes, it’s about sitting quietly on campus one last time, watching the world move forward and realizing that a new chapter doesn’t have to begin with all the answers in hand.
news@thedailycougar.com
