Krittika Grau

As a Career Advisor, I advise students, alumni and community members regarding career and major changes. As a liaison to the Office of Global Education, I support international students as they go through the process of finding employment in the United States. Outside of advising, I manage the department’s website and supervise our wonderful group of Graduate Assistants and Career Peers.

Education

I hold three degrees from Kent State University - a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism, a Master of Arts in Media Convergence and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel.

How I Got Here

I am from Calcutta (Kolkata), India and I moved to the United States for the first time in 2005.  My journey after college was very exhilarating, yet stressful. I first moved to South Carolina, where I worked as a news anchor and I later moved back to Calcutta and continued working for the same organization as a foreign correspondent. During the following years, work first took me to New Delhi, the capital of India and then back to Calcutta again, where I worked as a News Correspondent. My area of coverage included most of the Eastern Coast of India. My stories ranged from breaking news, politics, crime, violence, fires, gang rapes, and extreme weather to sports, entertainment, and human-interest stories. While tremendously exciting at first, the deadline driven 18-hour days, in constant life threatening conditions, requiring me to be undercover on many occasions, started to burn me out. I realized while this was my dream career once upon a time, my dreams had changed. I decided it was time to stop doing something that was bringing me grief and that is when I applied for the Higher Education program and returned to Kent State University as a full-time student again. I started at Career Exploration and Development as their Graduate Assistant, which turned into a full time position within nine months. I love my career today and it was worth taking a few steps back in life to be able to move forward! Everything happens for a reason!

Most Unusual POSITION Held

I once spent nine months as a Voice-Over Artist and provided my voice to multiple cartoon characters in different animated series, audiobooks and commercials for a leading mobile content provider and application development company. Some of the clients included UTV and Disney. The characters I lent my voice to included baby owls, rats and an old grandmother who liked to cook!

About Me

I am an MBTI certified practitioner with a preference for ENFJ. I love reading, singing, playing the guitar and piano, playing video games and hanging out with my family and friends. Most importantly, I love to travel and experience new countries, people, cultures and food. While I love all animals, I have a soft corner for cats.

Best Advice for Students

One of my favorite quotes from the Lord of the Rings is, “Not all those who wander are lost.” Many of you might be wandering as I was for a short while after I realized I wanted to quit my career as a journalist. It’s important to have hope and remember that not all is lost if your plan A, B or C don’t work out. Just remember there are people in the world who can help you so don’t be afraid to reach out when you feel the need for it.