When Angela Cobio scrapped her pre-med plans and declared herself an anthropology major, her parents began to call her a "future rock duster."
But Cobio, who graduated from the College in 2000, now manages finances for Bristol-Myers Squibb and is pursuing an executive master's degree in public health at Columbia University.
Five College alumni, including Cobio, returned to campus last night to describe how studying their passions prepared them for successful and fulfilling, if unexpected, careers.
Undergraduates, many of whom had not declared a major, packed College Hall, where College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dennis DeTurck presided over the panel discussion, entitled "Looking to Your Future: Why You Should Study What You Love."
"The biggest advantage you get from the College education is that you get to make your own path," DeTurck said. "You don't have to follow someone else's."
While at Penn, Nate Chinen, a 1997 College graduate and English major, immersed himself in poetry at the then-fledgling Kelly Writers House. He is now a jazz critic for The New York Times and has also co-authored a book.
"Poetry, which has no 'practical' application in life, combined with sensibility prepared me for my task," Chinen said.
Andrew Zitcer, a 2000 College graduate and English and religious studies major, picked nine courses from nine different departments his freshman year.
"You never know what one wild card can lead to," Zitcer said. "It helped me to better understand myself."
Annette Doskow, a 1999 College graduate and art history major, applies the analytical skills she developed while critiquing paintings in a different way today; she works as the regional manager for Score, an education company.
Cris Garza, a 2003 College graduate and history and urban studies major, discovered his passion for education after volunteering as an elementary-school teacher the summer after his sophomore year. When he returned to Penn, he declared himself an urban studies major.
He recently completed a stint with Teach for America.
"You are in one of the biggest cities in America, and you are at a school that has so many resources. If you want to improve something, the possibilities are endless," Garza said.
Many students appreciated the anecdotal advice.
"I think it was a useful panel. It basically emphasized the point that we hear over and over: to take advantage of relationships with professors and to be proactive," College junior Deena Feinstein said.
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