One great fear of the young adult is becoming stuck in a job that is unenjoyable or unrewarding. Luckily, many are able to avoid this pitfall of adulthood by pursuing work in causes they believe in, especially in service-related fields.

Allison Rohland ’14 is the creative coordinator for the Horizon Initiative and has been able to pursue work that is not only gratifying but also helpful to the community and worldwide populations.

While at Elizabethtown College, Rohland majored in English with a concentration in professional writing and minored in creative writing.

One class Rohland remembered especially fondly was a class on playwriting with associate professor of English Dr. John Rohrkemper. At the end of the class, Rohland was among the nine students whose final project, a ten to 15 minute play, was read on stage of the Etown New Playwrights Fest in 2013.

According to the Etownian article on the event, Rohland’s play was called “Deep Diver” and was directed by Rohrkemper for the fest. He called it “a subtle and elegant play about the burgeoning relationship of two unlikely individuals.”

Rohrkemper also helped Rohland with her senior thesis for the honors program, in this case, a full length play.

Rohland was closely involved in production of the Etownian and said that some of her fondest memories were related to her work on the paper. She began working as the assistant news editor during her second semester after her best friend at the time was appointed news editor.

Following this, Rohland climbed the Etownian ranks, later serving as the opinion editor, assistant editor and finally the managing editor of the paper.

Rohland also served as an editorial intern for the College’s Office of Marketing and Communications, where she wrote many press releases and gained experience in writing about cultural events.

After her graduation in 2014, Rohland felt like “a flailing fish and a trainwreck.” There was an uncertainty of what she was meant to be doing since she was completely free to make her own choices.

“You’re in this set structure for 16 years where you go to school every year, and you learn and you turn in papers and you can measure if you’re doing well just by getting As on papers,” she said. “In real life, you’re your own gauge for success.”

Immediately following graduation, Rohland moved to downtown Lancaster with her best friend and began working in marketing for the wedding industry, but after six months, she realized it was not for her.

However, she was intrigued by the art scene in Lancaster, and through a simple Google search was able to find her job at Friendship Heart Gallery, where she worked for several years.

Friendship Heart Gallery works with adults who have intellectual disabilities through studio art and allows them to not only express themselves creatively but also have real artist experience, even selling work and getting commisions.

“It was one of the best experiences I have ever had as a person,” Rohland said. “[The artists] are very blunt people and are unabashedly themselves.”

According to Rohland, working there allowed her to become who she is as a person. She owes it to artists at the gallery who taught her that it is alright to be herself and that her voice mattered.

Rohland began as a part-time instructor, but as she continued to work there, she gained more responsibilities. She began doing more marketing work, then developing exhibits and helping with window displays.

After about three years, Rohland was promoted to full-time and front gallery instructor. She also took on social media and event planning responsibilities. When the position for gallery coordinator opened up, she applied and got the job, and held it for about a year and a half until the facility shifted from unlicensed to licensed.

With this shift, Rohland was expected to keep the gallery running the way it had before, while taking on many new responsibilities. The work was less creative, and unfortunately, it got to a point where she was making more personal sacrifices than she was comfortable with.

Rohland felt the position at the Horizon Initiative manifested itself at just the right time. “If I could have a position where I could still work for a nonprofit and a cause that I truly believe in, but could be creative and utilize marketing and communication skills that would be amazing,” Rohland said.

Rohland now serves as the Creative Coordinator for the Horizon Initiative, a nonprofit which creates microcommunities in developing countries in an attempt to allow disadvantaged orphans to become self-sufficient and develop their own identities.