USD Magazine Fall 2022

TORERO NEWS USD MAGAZINE

G R E T A D P H O T O G R A P H Y

[ o v e r a c h i e v e r ]

he one thing college pro- vides undergraduates is four years of a certain C A T C H I N G W A V E A F T E R W A V E Caroline Walsh excels at a surprising number of things by Kelsey Grey ’15 (BA) T

two of her girlfriends told her they crossed paths with a Coast Guard recruiter while surfing in Ventura. The pair planned to enlist and encouraged Walsh to join them. Unsure, Walsh decided to go out for a surf session with the recruiter. As they bobbed up and down waiting for waves, they chatted about life in the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). “He was very honest. I feel like recruiters try to get you on these gimmicky things like you’re going to serve your coun-

For Caroline Walsh ’24 (PhD) that anxiety was exacerbated by the 2008 recession. Her bache- lor’s degree in psychology didn’t exactly put a lot of options at her fingertips. She was working two jobs that paid by the hour, but it wasn’t what she’d envisioned.

“I had to think, ‘Even if I’m OK financially, how will this get me to my master’s degree?’” Walsh recalls. “I think my gen- eration has become very cau- tious about how much debt we’re getting into.” As she processed her options,

type of stability. Get to class on time, do the work and you’ll likely be all right. But once graduation draws near, fear can set in. What will I do next with my life?

USD MAGAZINE

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