Recent computer-science grad gets her first job in her rural hometown; a lesson for other places

After graduating from Fisk University in Nashville, Tashuna Davis (left) assumed she would find her first job "in the big city." Instead, she returned to her hometown of Bogalusa in rural southeastern Louisiana — a choice she explains was the right one, in an essay for the Daily Yonder.

While no job appeared in Nashville, "I did get a job offer in my hometown, to work at Service Zone Inc.," she writes. "I got the call exactly one day after my graduation. This company handled technical support calls for Gateway computers, which was wonderful for me, being that my major was computer science. I was close to my field of study, I thought to myself. This disproved my claim that finding gainful employment in a rural area was impossible."

Upon returning home, she faced questions about her choice to come back. In this essay, she offers her answers: "Since I was busy at work, I forgot about my promise never to return to rural America again. I fell in love again with being able to leave the house and car doors unlocked, driving and not seeing another car for miles . . . I had forgotten what it was like to look into the sky and see the stars and moon clearly with no interference."

The short essay is worth a read, especially for those who worry young graduates might never return to rural America. It also shows that rural communities should actively recruit educated young people to come home. (Read more)