Reflecting on Careers in the Arts

When my academic advisor suggested that I look into an Arts Leadership & Management minor, I was skeptical. I was already minoring in entrepreneurship and was under the impression that a business minor would add something extra to my resume to indicate my well-roundedness. I had no idea her suggestion would set me on a path toward my future.

After that conversation (and a good bit of research), I took every single Arts Leadership class offered by Stephanie Stenglein at Queens University. Stephanie’s expertise in her field stood out to me on the first day, and her teaching style integrated engaging activities, experienced guest speakers, and deep discussions. As the Associate Executive Director at Arts+, Stephanie has spent more than 20 years in the nonprofit industry giving back to the community. Her mentorship was extraordinarily helpful as I moved through her classes, learning more about the significance of community organizations and what it takes to run them. Through various projects in Stephanie’s courses, I connected with some of her staff members and found that I resonated with the Arts+ mission of providing outstanding and accessible arts education to Charlotte.

And then she offered me an internship.

I began working at Arts+ as the Development and Communications Intern in the fall of 2023. Though I had never considered a future in the nonprofit industry, I knew that this opportunity would be a great way to give back to the Charlotte community while also growing my own skills. Right away, I was welcomed into an inclusive and collaborative office environment. This was my first job in a formal office setting, but Stephanie had prepared me well. Someone was always willing to help, and I was able to make deep connections almost immediately. I worked closely with team members across all departments for my regular responsibilities including donor acknowledgment and miscellaneous research. By engaging in a variety of tasks and projects around the office, I developed skills in data entry and management on a CRM system; qualitative and quantitative data analysis, synthesis, and visualization; internal and external communication; copywriting, line editing, and proofreading; stewardship and donor relations; research; collaboration; foundational social media marketing; and writing grant reports and narratives.

This kind of cross-functional experience supported by communication and critical thinking skills is highly valuable in today’s job market. Being able to work independently in a hybrid office environment and learning to integrate AI tools into daily work has led me to feel prepared for similar work in any relevant industry.

After studying abroad in England, where I explored rich history through extensive museums and libraries, I decided to pursue graduate studies. I returned to Arts+ in the fall of 2024 while finishing my senior year at Queens. Stephanie’s guidance and mentorship, along with the assistance of other Arts+ staff members, has helped me develop a variety of desirable skills that would be beneficial for any position.

Every day, I get to see the value of my work directly helping people in my community. My time interning at Arts+ has been an incredible opportunity for professional and personal development, and I will be forever grateful for the experience I earned here.

This fall, I will begin a Master’s of Library and Information Science at the University of Maryland, College Park. I am thrilled to be continuing my education with years of experience in nonprofit work under my belt, though I will dearly miss the meaningful relationships I’ve created here in Charlotte and at Arts+.