#MyFirstJob

Gaelyn Angus-Barker, who graduated from the University of South Alabama with a degree in mechanical engineering, is in a two-year program at General Motors that includes four six-month rotations in different positions.

Engineer Rolls to General Motors
July 21, 2020

#MyFirstJob: After graduating in May, Gaelyn Angus-Barker heads north for job with the automobile industry in downtown Detroit. ...

Courtney McKeand, whose portfolio is thick with science fiction and fantasy characters, landed a freelance contract after graduating from the University of South Alabama. “I’m thrilled to have found work so quickly and in my field,” she said.

Artist Lives Dream in Fantasy World
July 14, 2020

#MyFirstJob: Courtney McKeand overcame multiple sclerosis to earn art degree at South and land freelance job in science fiction. ...

Adam Gautier earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer and information sciences at the University of South Alabama. Before finishing school in May, he was chosen graduate student of the year for the School of Computing.

Computer Security Career Takes Off
July 7, 2020

#MyFirstJob: Adam Gautier's degree took him to Huntsville, where he's found challenges, camaraderie and comical space references. ...

Dr. Cameron Chick, who earned a doctorate at the University of South Alabama, is a clinical audiologist at the Georgia Hearing Institute.

Audiologist Hears Call as Dr. Chick
June 30, 2020

#MyFirstJob: Cameron Chick turned a South education and a Macon internship into a job at the Georgia Hearing Institute. ...

Martavious Hails, a spring 2020 computer science graduate, works on a NASA team that uses satellite information to improve short-term weather forecasting.

South, then North and to Space
June 22, 2020

#MyFirstJob: Martavious Hails joined a NASA team in Huntsville that uses satellite imagery to improve weather forecasting. ...

Amara Baltimore, a spring graduate of the Mitchell College of Business, is just 22 years old, but she’s already conducting audits and interviewing taxpayers in her first job with the Alabama Department of Revenue.

The Nonconfrontational, Sympathetic Auditor
June 15, 2020

#MyFirstJob: With a $10 backdrop, Amara Baltimore looks for thousands in lost revenue for the state of Alabama. ...

Caleb Santa Cruz, a communication studies graduate, works as a youth pastor at Summit Church, which is constructing a new church building in Foley.

A Career, and a Church, Under Construction
June 9, 2020

#MyFirstJob: Caleb Santa Cruz, a communication studies graduate, heads back home to begin a job as a youth pastor. ...

Jasmein Davis works in the old federal building in downtown Mobile, where she is an accountant for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District.

#MyFirstJob: Jasmein Davis
August 13, 2019

She loves words, but Jasmein Davis chose numbers in pursuing accounting. It's paying off at the Army Corps of Engineers. ...

Hong Nguyen majored in finance and accounting to earn her degree in business administration at USA Mitchell College of Business. She completed three internships while at South, one at Austal USA where she now works.

#MyFirstJob: Hong Nguyen
August 6, 2019

With three internships and a degree in business administration, Hong Nguyen brings her skills to shipbuilder Austal USA. ...

Two internships, college courses and involvement in USA’s Society of Women Engineers chapter all helped prepare Kelly Welsh for her job as an engineer for Georgia-Pacific.

#MyFirstJob: Georgia-Pacific's Kelly Welsh
July 29, 2019

As a reliability engineer for Georgia-Pacific, Kelly Welsh minimizes production loss by keeping the machines humming along. ...

Thomas “Reid” Nelson credits South’s Ph.D. program in marine sciences with having the resources and range of expertise in faculty to support his research interests and education. He works in a National Marine Fisheries Service lab with other scientists from UC Santa Cruz.

#MyFirstJob: Thomas 'Reid' Nelson
July 22, 2019

In a lab along the California coast, Reid Nelson researches ways to improve survival rates of juvenile salmon migrating to sea. ...

Russell Standridge, a physical therapist in Decatur, Ala., said he gets satisfaction from seeing his patients improve. His clients arrive having faced a variety of medical challenges: from surgeries to athletic injuries to automobile wrecks to neurological disorders.

#MyFirstJob: Russell Standridge
July 15, 2019

With an interest in sports and medicine, Russell Standridge found the 'perfect mix' in a career as a physical therapist. ...

#MyFirstJob: Lacey Bolden
July 2, 2019

Lacey Bolden says you never know what will happen in the ER. But with her degree from South, she feels prepared for every patient. ...

Billie McKinney, a graduate of the University of South Alabama, is a structural engineer at Ingalls Shipbuilding, one of Mississippi's largest employers. “As a structural engineer at Ingalls, my job consists of ensuring the safety of the men and women of the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. I take great pride in providing these men and women with the utmost dedication, professionalism and work ethic that they provide our country daily.”

#MyFirstJob: Billie McKinney
June 24, 2019

As an engineer at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Billie McKinney's job helps ensure the safety of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard personnel. ...

Zane Patterson's official title at Shipshape Urban Farms is account manager. But working at a start-up means pitching in wherever he's needed, and Patterson said he thrives on that culture. "I enjoy the flexibility of entrepreneurship,” he said.

#MyFirstJob: Zane Patterson
June 17, 2019

An account manager at Shipshape Urban Farms, Zane Patterson thrives on start-up culture. 'I get to help shape this business.' ...

When Tara Principe enrolled at South, she thought she would return to Road Island after graduation. “But my parents knew by my sophomore year at South that I was not coming back home to live. There’s no snow here, and I am close to the beaches.” Principe began as the marketing and communication director at Distinguished Young Women just four days after graduation. When Tara Principe enrolled at South, she thought she would return to Road Island after graduation. “But my parents knew by my sophomore year at South that I was not coming back home to live. There’s no snow here, and I am close to the beaches.” Principe began as the marketing and communication director at Distinguished Young Women just four days after graduation.

#MyFirstJob: Tara Principe
June 10, 2019

Distinguished Young Women's new marketing director got a rehearsal performance even before she graduated. ...

Caroline Carithers, a 2019 South graduate who is starting at WKRG-TV5, joins Chief Meteorologist Alan Sealls as a member of the WKRG First Alert Storm Team. Sealls taught Carithers while she was at USA.

#MyFirstJob: Caroline Carithers
June 4, 2019

"I was kind of shocked I got my dream job so quickly, so I'm very excited," says South grad and WKRG-TV5's newest meteorologist. ...

MyFirstJob News Archive

Engineer Rolls to General Motors July 21, 2020

Artist Lives Dream in Fantasy World July 14, 2020

Computer Security Career Takes Off July 7, 2020

Audiologist Hears Call as Dr. Chick June 30, 2020

South, then North and to Space June 22, 2020

The Nonconfrontational, Sympathetic Auditor June 15, 2020

A Career, and a Church, Under Construction June 9, 2020

#MyFirstJob: Jasmein Davis August 13, 2019

#MyFirstJob: Hong Nguyen August 6, 2019

#MyFirstJob: Georgia-Pacific's Kelly Welsh July 29, 2019

#MyFirstJob: Thomas 'Reid' Nelson July 22, 2019

#MyFirstJob: Russell Standridge July 15, 2019

#MyFirstJob: Lacey Bolden July 2, 2019

#MyFirstJob: Billie McKinney June 24, 2019

#MyFirstJob: Zane Patterson June 17, 2019

#MyFirstJob: Tara Principe June 10, 2019

#MyFirstJob: Caroline Carithers June 4, 2019