Describe your final semester as an ARAD student. This was the most unpredictable semester I had in grad school because I didn’t pursue a regular internship. I tried to get out more to experience cultural organizations I hadn’t been to yet. After submitting my thesis I felt like I could really focus on the city and getting as much out of it as I could.

Did you work on any major projects/papers this semester? Our Business Policy and Planning projects were deep dives into consulting that really helped us look at a problem and come up with a variety of ways to solve it in the real world. I also really enjoyed a “Portrait of a Leader” project from an elective class because I interviewed Rachel Goslins, a role-model of mine. She’s been an inspiration to me for the past year and a half and totally validates having more than one career.

Did you have a job or internship this semester? I did a few smaller projects instead of taking on a full semester internship. A highlight was working with the “Somewhere Project” at Carnegie Hall. It was a professionally staged production of West Side Story featuring a 200-voice choir of high school students from every borough. I helped with logistics, staging, transportation, whatever needed to be done! I was given the opportunity through an ARAD alumna I met last year, thanks to Juliana as Internship Coordinator!

What are the next steps for you after graduation? I’m moving to Chicago the week after graduation!

What do you find most exciting to you about your transition from the ARAD program onto your next steps? The chance to take what I’ve learned, apply it to what I know, and use it to learn more.

If you could choose one word to sum up your ARAD experience – what would it be? Why? Whirlwind. A lot of personal and professional ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade the experience. I will always value the connections I made with my cohort.