Dean urges Hofstra grads to get involved

Number of graduates: 1,400

Keynote speaker: Howard Dean, former presidential candidate and former chairman of the Democratic Party. Dean urged the graduates to be politically involved through community service and running for school board and political office.

In his words: "Our generation was in confrontation and is in confrontation: civil rights, gay rights, the Vietnam War. Your generation isn't like that. It's not that you're not politically active. We got a million people on the Mall; you got a million people to e-mail Congress and shut down the e-mail system for three days. The fundamental challenge to your generation and my generation is, when are we going to stop fighting about the things we've been fighting about for 30 years and get something done?

Elena Albanese, 21

Bachelor's in exercise physiology

I want to be a personal trainer and nutritionist and a school dietitian. It's a pretty marketable skill compared to business and finance. The health field is growing.

Hiba Qazi, 20

Bachelor's in political science

"I want to be a lawyer. I moved here from Pakistan when I was almost 8, and I've wanted to be a lawyer since I was 10. I really like the Constitution, and I'm interested in civil liberties. I'm going to New York Law School, and I hope I'll get a job after, but there are no guarantees out there."

Grace Kho, 27

Bachelor's in communications

"I heard it's a very challenging job market. Whenever there's an opening in communications, someone takes it immediately. I was hoping to go to grad school, but because it's expensive, I want to wait and go after working for a few years."

Ricardo Romero, 22

Bachelor's in finance

"Overall, the job market is looking really bad, especially in the financial industry, but I got a job with a regulatory authority. The economy is cyclical, and there are going to be a lot of opportunities out there in the future."

Miguel Otchere, 22

Bachelor's in accounting

"Accounting does offer a lot of chances to get jobs, but right now it's tough. I'm trying to get into grad school to study taxation for two years. I want to be very experienced in my field when I go looking for a job."