Traveling Seahawk Stays in Touch

As many UNCW graduates emerge into a world full of unknowns, staying connected to former classmates remains helpful. Graduation opens the gate of endless opportunities and experiences to explore, many of which are guided by UNCW and friends.  Katie Childs ’02 received degrees in both Business Administration – International Business and Spanish - a language, culture, and history that she loves.  Passionate about UNCW since childhood visits to Wilmington, Katie explains that “UNCW provided me with the opportunity to learn amongst top faculty and peers, and provided me with the trip of a lifetime to study abroad in Quito, Ecuador.” Katie is still close with many UNCW alumni and faculty, as well as classmates from Ecuador.

However, upon graduation Katie faced some challenges as she moved west to Los Angeles, California in search of her dream job. After the incidents of 9/11, there were sparse jobs available for a recent graduate like Katie, with an interest in International Business. She worked hard to find a job, and remained connected with her networks for help. “Using the network of friends, alumni, and professors for references and referrals for job openings I have found that we are all willing to aid our fellow Seahawks however we can,” recalls Katie. 

Traveling to places like Mexico, Ecuador and more recently Spain, where she met her Australian fiancé is one of the things Katie enjoys most. She now lives in Brisbane, Australia and she still stays involved with the Alumni Association when she can. The internet has made staying connected much easier; she has even met a few Seahawks living in Australia. Katie even says that she hopes to get an alumni group going on this side of the world. “That’s next on my list – what a great opportunity to keep us all involved, even from afar!” Although Katie has finally found a place to call home; many Seahawks travel to new areas where they are faced with uncertainties. Moving away from what they know can be a frightening challenge; fortunately staying connected with fellow alumni provides friends in all places.

Read more about alumni who are making an impact in Wilmington, and all over the world during the Seahawk Summer Feature. Learn about Ryan Kawamoto '08 who works with the Ellen DeGeneres show. Check out the posts on Justin Queen '04 owner of an advanced technology web marketing company, or Lindsay Rowe '08 teaching in South Korea,  Brad Knighton '06 who plays in MLS with the Philadelphia Union and Ryan Crecelius '06 whose real estate business is helping to shape Wilmington's future.