‘18 came to UMN Morris with a mission to complete both a theater arts and elementary education degree in four years. She credits her professors in both the theater and education departments as being incredibly instrumental in making that happen.
Katie wasn't sure about choosing UMN Morris until she took a tour of the campus. “It was everything I was looking for,” she said. “I do well with small class sizes that are tailored to me as a person, rather than a number in the system. That's exactly what Morris had to offer.” And the education department was very hands on—another big selling point for her. She feels she was able to learn skills in theater that she says she would otherwise have missed had she attended a larger university. “The liberal arts environment lends itself perfectly to a creative mind looking to explore a plethora of learning opportunities.”
In many professions, but especially in the arts, opportunities come from knowing who to talk to and making connections. And for Katie, Morris was the place for that. She says that although her “toolkit was full” by the time she graduated and she was “hungry for work” after graduation, she had no idea where to start. She’s grateful to a fellow alum and UMN Morris staff member for putting her in touch with other teaching artists working in the Twin Cities. Through those initial connections, she was able to work for multiple theater companies before landing her current position as the education director at Lakeshore Players Theatre in White Bear Lake, while also working as a Twin Cities actor.
“There’s a lot to love about Morris, but I always come back to the people,” said Katie when asked about the impact UMN Morris had. “I met my best friends in my first-year dorm, was surrounded by innovative and forward-thinking minds in class, and was respected by faculty and staff as both a student and a person.”