When Paulina Wersocki ’22 moved to Boston from Poland to study audio engineering at the Berklee College of Music, she got to help bands, artists, and singer/songwriters bring out their very best.
As she worked with these industry professionals to reach their full potential, however, she was surprised to discover that she enjoyed the project management, music production, and partnerships involved with bringing albums together. (more…)
Credit: @jaytowns
Carmella D. Baldwin ’22 loved life as an undergraduate at Clark Atlanta University, where she majored in mass communications and media arts. While there, she took advantage of every opportunity to get involved with her collegiate community—including reigning as Miss Clark Atlanta University.
“That experience translates to a lot of what I still do today,” she says, “I really care for my community.” (more…)
Growing up in Elmwood Park, IL, Emily Long ’22 watched her parents work and raise a family in an unconventional way. Her father worked during the day while her mother worked overnight as an oncology nurse. Because of their nontraditional schedule, she says she was raised not only by her parents, but also by the community around her.
“My mom really instilled being an independent working woman,” says Long. “When I asked her if I should go to nursing school just like she, my grandmother, my sister, and my two aunts did, she said, ‘No! You’re going to do media.’ ” (more…)
“When I let go and allowed myself to be curious, a whole new world opened up.”
Audrey Emerson is a winter-start MSLCEr and a full-time Associate Financial Planner at Cultivating Wealth, a female-owned comprehensive financial planning firm. Audrey’s financial background makes her a rare find within the cohort, as most MSLCE students worked or aspired to work in the creative industries, but she started her career just like most of us in the program. After graduating from the University of Southern California with a Film Studies degree in 2017, Audrey worked as a documentary and commercial producer for both the non-profit and corporate sectors. She traveled worldwide, from Tanzania to China, supporting artists and storytellers to make a difference in the world with their art. (more…)
After Imani Davis ’22 graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies and concentration in screenwriting, she found herself at a career crossroads: She realized that being a full-time screenwriter wasn’t for her.
Feeling a little lost, she returned to her home in the Chicago suburbs to think about a new path forward that better aligned with her skills and personality. As an undergraduate, she had interned with The Ohio State University’s Alumni Association, so she began searching for a full-time job at higher-education institutions in Chicago. (more…)
“I’m always going to make music, but my goal is not to be famous… I just want to make music for those who enjoy listening to good music. Being a musician, you’re going to be around musicians, but if I also explore the tech space, I can bridge the gap between the music and the tech industry.” (more…)
Jorie Goins is a part-time MSLCE student from Miami and a Northwestern Wildcat through and through. She graduated from NU’s Medill School of Journalism in 2016 with a BA degree in Journalism, and she is now pursuing her MSLCE degree while working full-time at The Chicago Tribune as a content editor. Apart from her passion for reading and writing, Jorie also loves dancing; she started dancing at age 5 and competing at age 12. During her undergraduate years, Jorie nurtured her passion for dancing by minoring in dance and joining various campus dance groups, including Tonik Tap and Danceworks. (more…)
Coming from a musical family, Alison Tatum was immersed in music growing up and started playing the violin at six: “My mom worked as a band music teacher, […]and my dad was the executive director of the Folly Theater in Kansas City. What that meant for me is I went to many high-quality concerts for free growing up and heard a lot of really good music.” Enticed by the challenge and excitement of violin, Alison graduated from the University of Missouri with a double major in violin performance and music theory in 2012.
Like most violin-majored students, Alison went straight to graduate school to receive rigorous musical training and better prepare herself as a professional musician, earning a Master of Music degree in 2014 and a Performance Certificate in 2016 from DePaul University. Playing mostly classical music throughout her music career, Alison found herself being burned out by the classical pieces and was slowly losing aspiration to become a professional violinist: “[The] classical music culture is very perfectionistic […], and everybody is playing the same thing. There’s no individualized decision-making in the orchestra.” (more…)
Jazzma Pryor fell in love with theater during her junior year of high school when she was asked to put together “a little something to keep the student engaged.” Discovering her interest in the theater after her first show, Jazzma went on to Beach Drama, a theater summer camp, under the encouragement of her Gunnery Sergeant in MCJROTC, completely unaware that it would change the trajectory of her life forever.
Being a top student in almost every school course, Jazzma majored in premed chemistry entering college and was ready to become Dr. Pryor, but (more…)
For Zoe Skehan ’17, art has always been part of learning—and something she loves.
Although this enthusiasm for all things creative made it difficult to choose a major, she decided to attend the University of Redlands to study art history and visual media studies—a combination to bring her passions into focus.
Earning her bachelor’s degree during a recession, she felt lucky to land a manager position at an art gallery that showcased work by Chicago and Evanston, IL-based artists. After six months, however, she was ready for something different: She wanted to see first-hand some of the work she spent so much time learning about in her art and media courses. (more…)
