Students graduating high school or college now have a new tool to use when figuring out what to do next.
Peorian Marc Supreme, program director at 90.7 Strictly Hip-Hop, has released a literary mixtape entitled "D@mn, I Graduate in May! A Literary Mixtape for Life After High School and College." DIGIM for short, the book breaks down different options for students to consider after graduation — from college to entering the trades and even how to figure out what city to live in.
With a background in recruiting for Southern Illinois University and Northern Illinois University, Supreme has talked to many students who are at the cusp of adulthood. He’s been to hundreds of college fairs and realized that many students are much more concerned about choosing their major than thinking about the "end goal," like what career they would want to have after graduation.
“And I would say, okay, so real quick, forget about books, forget about majors, forget about school, and colleges and all these things,” said Supreme. “Ten years from now, you have to wake up at six in the morning, you got to go somewhere. Figure out where you want that place to be. Once you figure that out, let your academics be predicated off of that end goal, and that'll tell you your next step and what to do,” he explained.
Supreme said parents and students alike seemed to take to his advice that ultimately sparked the inspiration for the book. However, in between beginning to write the book at the start of the pandemic, to its upcoming release date on May 4, Supreme launched his own college fair series under the name of DIGIM with the same idea in mind.