While the first day of summer isn't officially until June 21, May and graduation is the unofficial beginning of summer.

Congratulations to those who graduate this month from East Carolina University and Pitt Community College. Graduating is the first step to attaining the job and career you want. We asked readers to weigh in with their advice on interviewing and job searching tips with the Last Word. See their answers, as well as some other interviewing tips on page 30.

Summer movies begin in May, usually bringing a host of blockbusters. Cooke Communications— mixer's parent company — film critic Shirrel Rhoades has provided a rundown of all that the summer lineup has to offer including “Pirates of the Caribean: On Stranger Tides,” “X Men: First Class” and “Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon.” See the full list of upcoming films on pages 8-9.

We have a new blog this month called “14 Hours Ahead.” It's written by former mixer and Daily Reflector writer Kristin Day. She moved to South Korea in early April to teach English in Bundang. Her blog chronicles her adventures in a new country. See page 23 to read about her arrival in Asia.

Also this month we have a story about Nick Bailey. Those who follow local live music may know Bailey from his band Nick and the Babes. But what you may not know is that Bailey writes music for TV shows on TLC, A&E and VH1. Read his story on page 7.

Chick-fil-A will hold its finals for the chicken nugget eating contest. The preliminary rounds were held each Friday in April. The contestants who ate the most nuggets each Friday advanced to the finals on May 6. Read about the contest on page 28.