She didn’t think she would stay in Ohio, but is open to wherever the right job might lead her. She won’t be mad if that place doesn’t have winter.

As an aspiring journalist, Johnson said she is focused on how she can make the most impact, particularly for communities of color. She knows that work could take her out of state.

«I feel like I have a lot of potential to go out and do something big and be something great,» Johnson said.

Many students, she said, feel a pressure to make a difference in the world, and tend to gravitate toward bigger places to do that.

While her family is still based in the Cleveland area, Johnson said she has a hunch her mom at least might follow her if she settles down somewhere else.

But upon graduating, the fifth-year University of Akron student is open to an adventure away from Ohio. And whether to stay in Ohio or move away will largely depend on her graduate school and job prospects.

As a double major in accounting and economics, DiFeo has applied to 11 graduate economics programs. Ohio State University is among the schools, so she isn’t against staying in the state.

«I know I’m going to have to move for graduate school, and it’s pretty much whoever takes me,» DiFeo said.

«We have very deep roots here, so I’m very attached to the area,» DiFeo said. «I really I would like to come back right after grad school.»

DiFeo’s family owns DiFeo & Sons Poultry in Akron, and she thought she would one day take over the business. She’s now leaving that to her brothers but would love to come back to teach economics at the University of Akron.

DiFeo is also already thinking long term, enticed to return back to Ohio for its parks and its health care systems for when she has a family.

Living elsewhere for a time has its appeal, she said, especially the West Coast. But the cost of living makes that tough, especially in comparison to Akron.

«The cost of living in my opinion is really reasonable» in Akron, she said. «I feel like I would be able to live comfortably day to day and still be able to save up for a house or take a vacation.

‘There’s just a lot more opportunities in bigger cities.’

The University of Akron senior, studying business data analytics, has accepted an offer to work at a private equity firm in San Francisco.

‘So many college students want to stay (in Cookeville, Tennessee) after graduation because there’s so many activities consistently going on, such as live music.’

With his major, Chinoda said he could stay in Ohio and work for a private equity firm here. Spending his early childhood in Dayton and high school years outside of Chicago, he always assumed he would stay in the Midwest. Both his parents earned master’s degrees from Akron.

Chinoda is not against coming back one day to live and work in the state. But an internship in New York City showed him the financial hubs are elsewhere.

Incentives such as tax breaks and a lower cost of living are appealing to him, and Chinoda said they could one day help payday loans Orange on lure him back. But he said he feels like for now, he needs to follow the best opportunity he can.

«It’s easier to go back to Ohio than it is to start here and then go, ‘Oh I actually want to do this at a firm in a big city,'» Chinoda said. «I feel like it’s harder to make that jump.»