As an undergraduate student at Lawrence University, I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a Bachelor of Music in flute performance. During my time there, I participated in many musical ensembles including the Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and Symphony Orchestra. Very set on going into a performing career, I focused mostly on my flute playing throughout college. However, as I reached the culmination of my degree program, I became incredibly nervous about the viability of a career in performance. I had already experienced so much stress related to competition within performance, and I felt very unsure about my next steps. At the same time, I worked in the Conservatory Box Office as a cashier. This sparked my interest in arts administration. Selling tickets and helping patrons made me realize how much more goes into performances than the actual performance itself.
My supervisor at the Box Office is the Director of Conservatory Programming at Lawrence, and she takes on an intern each year to be her assistant. I was recommended for the position, and I decided to do it. Throughout this internship, I helped her with the guest artists that visited campus by picking them up from the airport or their hotel, assisting them with their soundcheck, and ensuring that they were feeling comfortable and prepared for their performance. I was really inspired by this internship, and she encouraged me to consider a career in arts administration. When I told my flute professor about my potential change in career plans, she recommended the Bolz Center program to me.
My applied learning placement this year is with the LunART Festival, a nonprofit here in Madison focused on empowering women in the arts. I am their operations intern, and I have been assisting with various tasks in the organization. The main task I have been working on this semester is grant writing, and we recently secured a $4,000 grant from Arts Midwest. Grant writing has been something that has interested me as I have started my arts administration journey, and I am excited to learn more about it through LunART.
From here on out, I am hoping to move to Chicago sometime after graduation. Originally from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, I would love to be closer to home. In addition, there are a multitude of arts opportunities in the city of Chicago. I am hoping that with the experience and knowledge I gain from this program, I will be able to secure an exciting job to begin my full-time career in arts administration.
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