What years did you attend WAA?
2006-2015
What program(s) did you participate in at WAA?
I did the theatre camps/programs, private lessons for oboe and piano, some art classes, and cooking classes.
How did WAA make a lasting impression and impact on you?
Woodlawn served as the foundation for the way I interact with art. The people and classes there fostered such an incredible, welcoming environment for learning and experimentation, while teaching foundations in life skills I still use to this day, and I feel incredibly privileged to have grown up with such a supportive artistic space in my life. It taught me that it’s always possible and important to make time for art in your life, whatever form that might take, whether that’s theatre, or sewing, or dance, or whatever you may be drawn to.
What areas of study did you pursue after your time at WAA?
I pursued an undergraduate degree in journalism and history, with a minor in sound design (and a ton of student theatre), and then returned for a master’s in sound arts and industries to further pursue sound design and engineering.
What is your current arts related job/career?
I currently work as the head of sound at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights. I also freelance as a sound designer for theatre, film and audio fiction, as well as a producer, director and editor for my audio fiction podcast “Tales From The Singing Porch.” Recently, I won a “Behind the Scenes Brilliance” award from the International Women’s Podcast Awards for my sound design and production of this podcast. Our production company, Talefolk Productions, won second place in a shorts competition, and that short has since been featured in three international audio fiction festivals as well, winning second in the Leipzig Horspielsommer Festival in Germany. You can check us out at Talefolk.com!
Do you feel that your time at WAA is a direct reflection on your current position/career path?
Pretty clearly, yes! My full-time job is in theatre, and all of my side projects are straightforward reflections of the lovely artistic folks surrounding me throughout my time in Woodlawn and the Sterling High School theatre program.
