More than 1,000 Purdue students awarded degrees

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - More than 1000 Boilermakers made their final march into Elliot Hall of Music Saturday morning for the 217th commencement ceremony.

Many of these undergraduate students made this march four years ago when they started their Purdue journey with the Boiler Gold Rush orientation program.

Acting Purdue president Tim Sands' message to the graduating Boilermakers was simply, 'change is good' and some students are making the change from student to employee right out of college.

"I'm going to be working at a hotel in Chicago. Right now, I have a management training position so I will be rotating from finance into sales here in a few months," graduate Sean Harmon said.

"Working for a company called Acquity Group, being a business analyst," said Harmon's future roommate in Chicago and recent graduate, Philip Cerney.

"I actually already got a job in Indianapolis as a software engineer," said graduate William Leavenworth.

Other students haven't landed their dream job quite yet but are optimistic about what the future holds for them.

"I'm either trying to do the Chicago Police Academy or grad school and focus on sociology," recent graduate Anna Hamel said.

"I would like to do video production probably in documentary films, journalism, news, whoever will have me," graduate Michael Williams said.

These Boilermakers may be leaving campus but say going to college was one of the best decisions they've ever made.

"I encourage anyone and everyone to explore going to college because it's a really great experience," Williams said.

An experience that Williams and other alumni say they'll never forget.