Leadership development, soft skills training and organizational development at an InsurTech company
When you think about your time at PiM/MSSPA, what is the one thing that sticks out?
Not to sound all "corporate trainer," but I think it can be captured well in "growth mindset." We were all in it (whether "it" was being a part of a brand new school, putting together shows, or just navigating high school), students, teachers, and staff were all there with their knees bent ready to jump in and grow/develop/learn
What was one thing you feel MSSPA/PIM prepared you for?
Working on a team - especially in the workplace. All of the behaviors of a healthy team - trust, the ability to engage in productive conflict, commitment, accountability, and working toward collective results - was being built and internalized while I was at MSSPA.
What is something that you were surprised to discover MSSPA/PiM prepared you for?
When I think about the skills I had when I was first entering the workforce and even today, I always trace it back to MSSPA
Are you doing what you thought you would be doing?
Yes and no. After studying theatre and sociology in college, I went to grad school for Arts Development and Program Management. Since my freshman year of college, I was telling anyone who would listen that my background in the arts would help me in my career (with my only work experience being service industry and retail at that point). But after graduating, I realized I was a little dissatisfied with my bachelors program (as I'm writing this and reflecting, my standards were probably very high after attending MSSPA!) and I wanted to transform collegiate arts programs - I wanted to help equip students studying an arts discipline to transition into the workforce, even if they didn't necessarily want to "work in the arts" or at least help them get experience before landing FT arts employment. And I thought that meant I needed to get a masters degree and then work in higher education. This plan made a lot of sense to me, as I was working at Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design where this way of thinking was the norm. But reality hit when, after finishing grad school and months of applying to arts admin jobs, I didn't get what I thought was my dream job managing a makerspace at a private college. And I was so devastated by that I pulled a 180 and applied for a corporate job for a company that developed workplace development tools (assessments, workshops, training materials, etc.). Now, I get to help people realize their potential, work better together, and operate more efficiently every day. The only part that's missing is an official tie in to the arts (but don't get it twisted, I literally do improv with professionals to help them connect/develop leadership skills - they just don't necessarily know I'm using the arts to help them in their jobs). So the work is the same, but the context is different. /// That's the end of my story, but if you ever want someone to come speak to students or to prospective students and their parents, I already have the TedTalk outlined in my mind. I used to do recruitment for a very expensive fine arts college, so I get the kinds of reservations parents might have. I also have a successful career and I talk about how beneficial going to arts high school was whenever I get the chance -- I was featured in a company news letter last year and talked about my arts education for the whole thing. At my last company, I talked about Main Street in a presentation I had to give to get a promotion. If you think that is helpful in any capacity - info nights, pop ups, booths, sessions for seniors - I'd love to be a resource!!
