For the first installment of Marist CCS' new alumni feature, I interviewed James Holodnak '15, a former Marist football player and a current Peace Corp volunteer in South America, where he's been living since January 2016. Name: James Holodnak Class Year: 2015 College Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Current Location: Mompós, Colombia What was your first job out of college, and what is your current job (if they’re different)? 3rd grade teacher at my local elementary school. Now I am teaching English as a foreign language in Colombia with the Peace Corps. What do you miss most about Marist? Seeing friends every single day all day. Also the cafe - I hate cooking! Tell us a little about your current job and how Marist prepared you for it. I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer living and working in a rural community in Colombia. I teach English and have gender equality groups among other clubs and extracurricular activities. Marist, specifically the interactions and relationships I had with the Marist brothers on campus, opened my mind to a more liberal perspective which has enabled me to grow into a more flexible, tolerant person - pivotal characteristics if you want to join the Peace Corps! What is your favorite part of your job now? Living and working in a beautiful country and always speaking Spanish. What’s the best part about life after college? The worst?
You can chase your dreams and see what you're made of. [The worst part is] not kicking it with your friends all day. Instead of giving them the digs and laughing with all your buddies you will most likely send a text in the group chat and wait til people go to the bathroom at work to reply - not as fun. What’s one thing you wish someone had told you about postgrad life? What’s something surprising? That life is fun. It's not the worst thing ever and college doesn't have to be the best years of your life. Every year you're presently in should be the best year. Something surprising about postgrad life for me is how soon I wanted to see my friends again at Marist. I was for sure thinking I wouldn't go back to Poughkeepsie until my 10 year championship reunion but I came back for the alumni game the same year I graduated haha. Do you have anything you’d like to tell current seniors as they prepare to graduate? Get trashed before the ceremony - or bring a book to read. The senator has a terrible speech that he repeats every year and you're really only waiting for your name to be called and to throw your hat at someone you never liked. What’s your dream job? I'd be an amazing full-time dad if my wife still cooked, but teacher + football coach is definitely the dream.
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