What inspired you to pursue this field or career path? 

I was inspired to become a College and Career Readiness VISTA because of my passion for arts management and education. Since I was a young child, I have always had an interest in art in school and always pursued an activity related to the arts. Whether it was going to art based summer camps like “Color-Me-Mine” or taking theater and ceramics in high school, I have always managed to include art in my everyday life in some capacity. In college I decided to major in Art Administration and minor in Nonprofit Management. During all of these points in my life I feel as though I have unknowingly created a path into the arts, professionally. Gathering information about the education system in general and how much the arts are needed has led me to pursue arts education. 

   “I am glad to have met such creative and vibrant people.”

What are some highlights and challenges experienced during this pursuit from what you are doing so far?

During my time as the College and Career Readiness VISTA, I am glad to have met such creative and vibrant people on a daily basis. I have already learned so much during this experience, from management duties to learning the administrative side of an organization and seeing how its run from that perspective. I have also enjoyed the new artistic techniques I have learned from the Art for Self Care sessions that we have been having. I feel as though they have allowed me to truly balance out my time, artistically. I would say challenges include working with different personalities and finding activities that everyone would be interested in.

What are some suggestions you have for someone else who might be interested in joining/ pursuing this career path? 

I would suggest to someone interested in pursuing arts education, they should hone in on what specifically they would like to focus on in the field. There are many aspects to arts education such as teaching, grant-writing, management/administration, etc. I would suggest trying to do some of each aspect to get an understanding of what you would like to focus on, for example possibly trying your hand at grant-writing or volunteering with a classroom for the teaching experience.