Student Blog: Navigating My Professional Life & Fall Semester: A Re-Introduction to Me

Hello everyone! My name is Bri and if your new here, I have been a BroadwayWorld student blogger since earlier this year. I am so excited to be returning to this platform with new blogs about my experiences as a college student working in the theater industry. If you’ve never read my blogs before, here is an introduction to me:

I am a sophomore Liberal Arts student at the Community College of Philadelphia with plans to transfer next year to study communication & theater. I have been working in the Philly theater community for about two years now and love it. However, I’ve been expanding my work to outside the state and even to other types of arts organizations. This summer, I was an intern for Washington Performing Arts through the American Association of People with Disabilities Summer Internship Program. As a disabled/Autistic woman, I also enjoy working as the Social Media Manager for the Autistic Theatremakers Alliance & an Assistive Tech Champion for Tech Owl. I believe that arts organizations should strive to be as accessible as possible for the disability community. 

Currently, I am also working as an intern for the Philadelphia Film Society in support of the Annual Philadelphia Film Festival. This is my first time taking a step into an arts organization not centered on the performing arts, but I’ve loved it and appreciate all that I am learning. I hope to go into arts administration/nonprofit management, so understanding how arts organizations work is of high interest to me. Stay tuned for my next blog in which I’ll take a deep dive into what it was like working for the Philadelphia Film Festival and how my experiences in theater prepared me for that challenge.

At my college, I do not study theater, but it is my intention to do so in the future. I’d actually like to double major, but am still deciding what exactly I’d like to study. For the last two years, I have been navigating uncertainty within my academic and professional lives, but making steps towards the goals I’ve made for myself nevertheless. I knew I wanted to do work aligning my interests in the arts and accessibility, so I went for my job with ATA since they strongly align with that passion. I knew I wanted to work in theater in some undecided form, so I took on jobs in everything from theater education to development. With so much on my plate, I've been both busy and blessed. My vision of my future is still hazy, but I am growing increasingly optimistic that I can build a career that puts my love for the arts to work.
 

I can’t wait to continue sharing my stories about how I am navigating the theater industry, broader arts world, and college over the next few months! Stick around for my 3rd semester journey and have a fabulous fall