The big day they've studied for, for years, is finally here.
"I'm really excited a little bitter sweet leaving MSU's beautiful campus," said Michigan State graduate Courtney Tononi.
The graduation song plays and MSU seniors are heading into the job market.
"I'm ready to start a new chapter in my life, but these were the best five years I could ever imagine. So, I'm also pretty sad to be leaving," said nursing graduate, Courtney Young.
After late nights of driving to and from her internship in Grand Rapids, she says it was all worth it. Because she landed the job.
"I feel like I can breathe, you know, I'm not worried about having to apply and travel all over and getting interviews," Young said.
She is just one of thousands of MSU graduates that will cross the stage with a job.
Career services coordinator Bill Morgan says the students who started building their resumes early on are the ones who get the offers.
"A lot of students are doing a lot of things. They're taking internships, part time employment," Morgan said. "They're getting a lot of out of classroom experiences, like study abroad. All of these make them prepared and attractive to employers."
Morgan says 90-percent of MSU's 2015 graduates had something lined up before they graduated, and he expects the same with the new graduating class.
"It's fascinating to watch the real-world of these students is moving into what happens after school," Morgan said.
As those students walk across the stage, most of them will be staying in Michigan. Something Michigan Works CEO, loves to hear.
"It's important because we've got businesses that are screaming for talent, and so we've got this talent out of the university," explains Edythe Hatter-Williams, CEO of Capital Area Michigan Works.
With a degree in hand the graduates are taking on the world.
