Why This Engineer Chose a Year of Service After Graduation

Emily Clements is graduating with a degree in chemical engineering, a field that offers one of the highest-paying jobs new graduates can get. But instead of entering the workforce with her classmates, Emily is choosing to do something radically different.

Watch as she explains why she followed her vocation in a different direction and how she discovered the joy that comes with finding a community.

For more on how Emily is using her degree to help the drop-in homeless center, check out the #GrottoStories Our Lady of the Road feature video.

Video Transcript

Emily Clements: So I will be graduating with a degree in chemical engineering. Chemical engineering is one of the highest paying jobs that new graduates can get. There’s like the pressure to be successful. But I have known for a long time that I wanted to do something very different from that kind of thing, ’cause after I stayed at the Catholic Worker House for a year, I had found something there that I knew was very precious and very valuable.

So, I’ve decided that I’m going to stay at the Women’s House for at least a year after graduation.

Following your vocation is often never the way that you can get the most money. Following your vocation will bring you peace, and joy, and it’ll put you in a community that you belong, and you get to build meaningful relationships. So, that’s something that I’m really looking forward to next year, and throughout the rest of my life, and whatever I happen to be called to next.