Finding your path after graduation can feel overwhelming, especially in a shifting job market. One of the best ways to set yourself up for success is to start building experience and connections before you walk across the graduation stage. The opportunities are there if you are ready to reach out and grab them.
A great place to start is with an internship. Landing one — and building the network that goes with it — is a lot less complicated than you might think.
With commencement on the horizon, these four students' stories reflect the incomparable value of trusting yourself, building your community and keeping your mind open to the many threads of opportunity around you as you venture into the professional world.
Emily Chhunkeo
Emily Chhunkeo recently secured a role as a Client Relationship Consultant at U.S. Bank and will finish her MBA this June — but her journey at Portland State almost
ended before it could really start. As a first-generation student, Chhunkeo first found her footing at PSU through the Empower Program, a mentoring community for first-gen Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi students navigating their first year. But within the first few weeks, she was ready to quit.
"If I'm being totally honest, I did not like it,” she says. “I did not feel like I fit in."
When Chhunkeo opened up to a professor about her desire to quit, she was met with a compassionate and encouraging email that Chhunkeo still reads when self-doubt creeps in. It's a bond she still holds onto today, and it wouldn't be the last time this kind of personal connection carried her forward.
Utilizing PSU resources, she would eventually land her first college internship at a local credit union. From there, each step was a building block for the next. Throughout her PSU career she would go on to participate in three internships, multiple mentorship roles and work several campus jobs to build her expertise. She found these opportunities by showing up, asking for help and staying closely connected.
Chhunkeo was intentional about being present and socializing, even when it felt difficult. Students around her — especially the students she mentored — often talked about how hard it was to make friends at a “commuter school.” She encouraged them, and herself, to lean into the built-in network PSU provides.
"I know how you feel, but you have to go to the events,” she recalls advising her peers. “It's fun and you get to meet new people. Even though you're tired. I get it, I am too."
That same resilience carried her into graduate school. Even up to the moment she was ready to apply for her MBA, Chhunkeo grappled with self doubt.
“I really didn't think there would be an interview, or that I would get past an interview. I thought, ‘Okay, I'll just throw my application in the hat and see where it goes.’ I remember breaking my retainers the night before my interview because I was so nervous,” she recalls. “I woke up with plastic in my mouth."
As Chhunkeo moved through grad school, balancing relationships, school and mental health became its own challenge. Relying on professors helped her persevere. She knew she could be vulnerable with them — they had been there with her through it all.
"You have three things: grad school, yourself, and people around you,” she says. “Make sure you know how to balance that."
Through all of it, Chhunkeo learned to trust herself. Above all, she wants PSU students to know: trust yourself, apply for the internships — and make sure they're paid.
Kenny Adams
Kenny Adams came to PSU as a non-traditional student from a small town with little exposure to commercial real estate. After eight years in jobs that didn’t match his true passion, Adams turned to books by the world’s greatest investors to find inspiration. He just landed a role as an investment sales analyst in commercial real estate — thanks to his journey at PSU.
One day in Seattle opportunity struck when Adams found himself chatting with a commercial real estate developer — one conversation that would change the direction of his life.
As Adams puts it, he “went down the rabbit hole and decided to fully pursue a career in commercial real estate.” He found a development company in Seattle to shadow: Capstone Partners. Thanks to relationships he built, he ended up at a prominent real estate conference where his path converged with members of the Center for Real Estate at PSU.
“They were very welcoming and happy to meet with me and tell me the benefits of the program,” he recalls. Adams wasted no time applying. He says he feels immense gratitude that he was able to “tap into their network” as the relationships gave him extra credibility.
“I'm an older candidate in my 30s, transitioning from a different career and that could be perceived in a number of different ways,” he says, but knew he wanted to find a way to defeat the odds.
“You’ve got ageism. I’m Black, so you’ve got racism, you have all this stuff working against you,” he says. “So I wanted to make sure that I showed people how serious I am.”
Filled with determination, he pushed himself to become an ideal candidate during his time at PSU. Standing out in a competitive and rigorous process, he earned an internship with Killian Pacific — a pivotal step in his journey.
Through all of this, Adams constantly expanded his network by showing up as his authentic self and learning to truly connect with the people around him. He quickly learned you need a degree to open the door, but it's the connections that walk you through it.
He shared that what he did with the connections mattered just as much as having them, and emphasized that beyond getting the internship, how you show up is everything.
"Being vulnerable creates that human connection that people look for," Adams says.
He learned to let go of the polished version of himself, letting people see who he actually is and trusting it would be okay. Every internship, every referral, every opportunity traced back to that willingness to be genuine.
"The first pitch you ever do is the pitch of yourself," he says.
That foundational confidence to be himself is something Adams credits entirely to his parents, Jennifer and Kenneth Adams.
"Without their support, I wouldn't be here," Adams says. "I got my work ethic, my desire, and my ambition from them. They let me be free to pursue the things I wanted. Being a dreamer isn't always seen as the coolest thing in the world, but they let me dream.”
Mary Munt
Rushing through a degree wasn’t a priority for Mary Munt — she wanted to take time to find what she loved. Given her background in chemistry and a love for environmental work, she transferred from Portland Community College to the biochemistry department at PSU.
Munt knew she was looking for a specific path, and after starting at PSU, recognized she wasn’t on it yet.
“I knew I wanted to do something meaningful with my degree,” she says.
She knew that part of finding her place would involve conversations and connections, but traditional networking felt intimidating.
“I would go to networking events and would think ‘What the heck do I talk to these people about? They are way more qualified than me,’” she recalls.
Choosing what felt like the most approachable avenue, Munt emailed a biogeochemist in the environmental science department. This decision would lead her to discover biogeochemistry — a field she didn't even know existed, but quickly became a place where she would shine.
Munt started getting involved with labs, staying curious and willing to push herself in a field she was growing to love. In moments of uncertainty, she learned to trust her own experience and education.
“Even though there’s 1,001 things you don’t know, even if it is hard to feel qualified, there’s that moment of realization that the work you’ve put in has made it so you can do things you couldn’t do before,” Munt says.“You are trustworthy enough to do things.”
As she became more active in her program, she found ways to network that felt right for her. In labs, out in the field, or at events centered on water science, she kept showing up — intentionally curious and open to anything.
“Making myself available and being willing to learn to do hard stuff was a really valuable facet of my experience,” she says. Ultimately, all of the hard work led her to an internship with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Munt is still working with USGS today, but her role has expanded and deepened through her commitment and enthusiasm for new challenges. Her one-year internship was extended, and now she will stay at PSU to pursue a master’s degree, funded through PSU’s partnership with the agency — the next step toward her long-term goal of becoming a hydrologist.
Through federal program uncertainty and changes, Munt has stayed steadfast, leaning on PSU advocates and finding unconventional ways to stay connected to USGS for as long as there are opportunities for growth.
Seven years into the journey, never rushing the process, Munt says she knows exactly where she stands.
"If nothing else, I will come out the other side incredibly qualified," she says.
Roy Antano Lopez
Roy Antano Lopez found a home at Portland State University and never looked back. When finishing high school, he knew he was interested in sports and marketing, but didn't quite know where to start. He began to explore his in-state options for higher education. PSU wasn't really on his radar, he recalls, but he's grateful he ended up where he did.
"Portland State has given me a lot," Antano Lopez says. "It's been such an amazing experience being here."
Early on in his PSU journey, Antano Lopez recalls connecting with Marc Moran, the advertising program director for the School of Business.
"He pretty much opened my eyes into the advertising world. I fell in love with it," he says. "I'm still in love with sports and ultimately want to do sports business."
This professional relationship would connect him with opportunities to pursue both his passions.
Through Moran, Antano Lopez got into the student work program where he was doing real client campaigns — including work with the Portland Timbers. He also took on a role in the athletics department. Between the two, his network grew alongside his confidence.
During his time at PSU, he has created a space for himself on campus.
"I've just been embedded into the school of business itself,” he says. “I'm pretty much living here."
Antano Lopez appreciates that he's "met some really awesome people" who he gets to spend his time with when he is on campus. That closeness to both friends and opportunities would prove invaluable.
When an internship in corporate sales sponsorships opened up through athletics, he already knew the people there. Getting it was straightforward.
"Specifically doing sales, I realized it wasn't my cup of tea," he says. Still, he recognized the value in the experience — it helped him understand the business process and "improved his overall skills." Not every opportunity has to be the perfect fit to move you forward.
Next up for Antano Lopez? A summer studying abroad in Barcelona learning more about sports marketing with Moran and other connections who have been instrumental in his success here at PSU.
Antano Lopez says he's still working out what his career looks like, but encourages students to learn from his journey: be active on campus, network with your professors and don't underestimate Portland State.