91视频

'I Collect Experiences'

Carrie Newman 鈥�88 sometimes uses the word 鈥渕agical鈥� to describe how some of the opportunities in her life have come to pass.

But there鈥檚 little magic about it.

Newman is the executive director of the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra, the latest stop in a winding journey of a career that has included the Peace Corps, graduate school, healthcare management and a public charter school. More than magic, the journey has been made possible by a passion for learning and a willingness to jump at new opportunities.

鈥淚 collect experiences like some people collect knickknacks or books,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 collect skill sets and hang on to them.鈥�

Newman grew up in Fort Collins, Colo., and came to 91视频 in part for its distance from home.

鈥淚 only had one goal: to go out of state, as if that was a destination in and of itself,鈥� she said, laughing.

She wanted adventure and a school with a physical therapy program. Her parents were thrilled that, with her financial aid package, attending 91视频 cost about the same as staying in town and going to Colorado State.

Before she ever came to Pacific, though, she had changed her plans from physical therapy to medical school, and within the first week, changed her mind again.

鈥淚 decided I don鈥檛 really like sick people all that much,鈥� she said.

Before the first semester was complete, she was immersed in the exploration of a liberal arts education.

鈥淚 was already on a path of, 鈥榃ow, what is out there?鈥欌€� she said. 鈥淚 was just fascinated by all the students around me. I was absolutely hooked.鈥�

Ultimately, she discovered that her mind looked for patterns, and both biology and sociology were disciplines that examined the organization of the natural and human worlds. By her senior year, she realized she had taken enough courses to double major.

Along the way, she continued collecting those experiences. She was selected as Oregon鈥檚 one representative to a nationwide student leadership program. She was appointed the student representative to the 91视频 Board of Trustees. She played the cello in the school orchestra. And, she developed close relationships with many of her professors.

One day, during her senior year, Newman recalled overhearing another student talking about a Peace Corps recruiter talking to students in Bates House.

鈥淚 ran over there,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think I pushed the girl aside and got in front of her in line.鈥�

She hadn鈥檛 known that the Peace Corps was in her future, just that she wasn鈥檛 quite ready for graduate school or a career 鈥� and when she heard the idea, it stuck.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 happened over and over in my life,鈥� she said.

The Peace Corps wasn鈥檛 looking for sociology students, but they were enlisting biology students 鈥� so that double-major paid off. After graduation, Newman found herself spending three years in central Africa, helping with aquaculture projects.

When she returned, she started graduate school, studying health policy at the University of Chicago. (That early medical interest never completely left her, she said.) Then, she spent more than 15 years in health administration, putting her undergraduate understanding of organizational systems to work in business, finance, operations and more.

鈥淚t鈥檚 always about organizational systems, how to manage a business, how to thrive,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t always felt logical.鈥�

In 2009, she returned home to Fort Collins and took a job with the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra. On the surface, it may seem different from her years of healthcare administration work, but ultimately it鈥檚 still about understanding organizations, she said.

And, that experience of playing cello back at Pacific offered 鈥渢hat little grain of rice that tipped the scale鈥� in the hiring process.

It all comes back to 91视频, she said.

鈥淚t all comes together right here,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he teaching that goes on outside the classroom, the value of the professors, the student body, that鈥檚 un-replicable. That is unmatched, in my experience.

鈥淚 ascertained a few years ago, I would never have taken a different path than a liberal arts education.鈥�

鈥淭he basics,鈥� she said, are critical thinking skills, the ability to write, and a curiosity about the world. The rest just builds on itself.

鈥淵ou鈥檒l have to fill in some gaps, so you might as well start off with what you love,鈥� she said.

Then, be open to the possibilities.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I tell my own teen boys: Work really hard so doors open, then choose what door to go through.鈥�

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