Before my time as a student in the Bolz Center for Arts Administration, I was an Administrative Assistant to the Fine Arts Center at Viterbo University, a small Franciscan-Catholic institution in La Crosse, Wisconsin. One month prior to graduation this past May, I was offered a position to return to Viterbo, this time as the Rental and Operations Manager. This was completely unexpected, but such a lovely surprise.
It’s hard to believe how much has changed since I walked across the stage at Union South and received my master’s diploma. Between managing our volunteer usher program, house managing performances across five theatre spaces, and building rental partnerships with organizations around the region, no two days look the same. I’m lucky to work alongside a genuinely fantastic team, the kind of people who make even the chaotic show nights feel like fun.
I owe a lot of how I approach this work to my time at the Bolz Center for Arts Administration. The frameworks I learned in leadership, operations, and nonprofit management show up constantly in how I think about volunteer systems, staff training, and even the way I negotiate rental agreements. It’s the kind of program that rewires how you see a problem, and I feel its influence daily.
Outside of work, I’ve been soaking up time with my fiancé. We spent a year living apart while I completed my graduate work at UW-Madison, and honestly, it was one of the hardest things we’ve done. Being back in the same house has been a gift I don’t take for granted. We’re deep in wedding planning now too, and the Bolz Center shows up here in surprising ways. The same project management instincts I use at work, budgeting, timelines, and managing competing priorities, have become wedding planning tools. It’s been fun and hard in equal measure, which feels about right.
I’ve made time for friends and for connecting with other artistic people here in La Crosse, including through my work as an Intimacy Director at the La Crosse Community Theatre for their upcoming production of Arsenic and Old Lace. It has become a family affair as my fiancé, future mother-in-law, and sister-in-law have all been cast.
And, in the interest of full transparency, I’ve taken on the very important role of dog aunt to Coulee, my brother’s new puppy. He is delightful and full of energy, and loves to wake you up at 5AM with kisses.
I reflect on my time at the Bolz Center every day. I miss the camaraderie (but not the deadlines.) Grad school asked a lot of me, and of the people I love. But it also gave me a career I care about, a community of alumni that I lean on, and tools I use every single day. I am so full of gratitude for all that the Bolz Center has given me.
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