While many college grads spent their summer struggling to find a nine-to-five job and their path in life, three 2007 Tufts graduates were traveling the country to find the answer to the age-old question: What is personal success?
Michael Stone, Sebastian Chaskel and Linda Schultz spent three weeks last summer driving down the East Coast, interviewing people from different walks of life about the concept of success.
The trio traveled as part of a PBS series called "Roadtrip Nation," a documentary show that films college students as they travel the country.
The students on the show interview successful people about their lives in an attempt to solve "the postgraduate dilemma."
Stone stumbled upon the program when he went to Career Services for advice during his senior year. "I wanted [to do] something with a big impact, but something I'd be passionate about," he said. "I also wanted to travel."
Stone had also taken Producing Films for Social Change, a documentary film class offered through the Experimental College.
"Documentary films and travel really excite me," he said. "[I thought,] what can I do with that?"
Donna Milmore, Assistant Director of Career Services, recommended applying to Roadtrip Nation, and soon after Stone enlisted two friends, Chaskel and Schultz, and enthusiastically applied to the program.
"I joined Mike because neither of us knew what we were going to do after graduating," Chaskel said in an e-mail. "I thought, 'why not?'"
Schultz had similar feelings. "At that time I still hadn't heard back from any of the jobs I had applied for and I was unsure what exactly I wanted to do," she said in an e-mail. "[I realized] that I would gain a lot of valuable and directed advice from people who had made their dream a reality. This was something I needed."
After completing a video application and conducting a sample interview with the creator of Spare Change, a newspaper founded by a homeless person, the trio found out that their team was chosen and MSN would be filming their journey.
Next, they spent most of May and June after graduation brainstorming interview candidates and calling up to 300 of them.
In addition to some famous success stories, they were looking to interview local heroes who might not receive much recognition for their achievements.
"We were really looking for typical people who were pursuing their passions," Stone said.
In July, the trio set out in Stone's SUV with an interview schedule and MSN's film crew. Because none of the trio was familiar with the Deep South, they opted to head down the East Coast on their journey.
They started in Philadelphia, interviewing Judy Wicks, the co-founder of Urban Outfitters and owner of the White Dog Café, one of the first local sustainable cafés in the country.
Other interviewees included an artisan watchmaker in rural Pennsylvania, a former Jumbo and play historian in Kentucky, a professor pioneering green architecture at the University of Memphis, Dr. Beverly Tatum, president of Spelman College, and "Goosebumps" author R.L. Stine.
"Many of the people we interviewed felt that what they were doing benefited themselves as well as their community," Schultz said. "They seemed to consider the larger community when assessing the impact of their work."
The trio found a common theme in their interviewees' successes: Each had created a lifestyle around their passions and was making an impact on the local community.
The watchmaker had always enjoyed tinkering with gadgets. The dramaturge had majored in drama and history at Tufts years ago. R.L. Stine was hoping to increase children's literacy.
"It's not about getting a job - it's creating a lifestyle," Stone said. "[These people have] pretty bizarre jobs, but they love it."
Overall, one of their favorite interviews was with Reverend Billy Kyles, a well-known civil rights activist in the Memphis area. Kyles was by Martin Luther King Jr.'s side when King was assassinated.
Stone said that it was the most emotional interview, especially as he talked about King's assassination and the "I Have a Dream" speech. He spoke about the importance of having dreams, stating that there wouldn't be any societal progress in medicine or any field without them.
"He turned to each of us and said, 'There are six billion people in the world but only one you. What are you going to do?'" Stone said.
In the end, Stone, Chaskel and Schultz took what they learned on the trip and connected it back to what they had learned at Tufts.
"Tufts allowed me to develop the community-oriented values that have inspired my concept of success. The road trip simply reinforced these values, exposing me to a variety of successful individuals who took the risk to pursue the less conventional," Stone said.
"Similar to how the highlights of my Tufts education intersected experiences both inside and outside the classroom, a fulfilling career should integrate your academic interests and your extracurricular passions," he added. "The two need not be mutually exclusive."
Now, all three are using the lessons they learned on the road trip and chasing their passions.
Stone has spent the last four and a half months creating a study abroad resource website, abroad101.com, which he plans to launch next month at Tufts and Harvard. In the future, he hopes to continue working on documentary films and pursuing social entrepreneurship.
Chaskel is working at a foreign policy think tank in New York City, and Schultz is teaching English in Japan, which she said "is rewarding and fun."
The trio encourages all interested students to apply to Roadtrip Nation or strongly suggests a similar experience to create their own definition of personal success and to reflect with friends before striking it out in the real world.
"Some of my best memories were actually in the driving, looking out our windows and talking with Mike and Linda," Chaskel said. "It was a great way to end four years of college."
