…helping her find her voice.
In rare cases, a student arrives on the UWGB campus knowing exactly what they would like to major in and exactly what career they want: this was the case for Katie Butitta.
“When I first arrived at UWGB, I knew that I would be happiest pursuing a career that involved the arts. My dream at that point was to somehow double-major in Music and Theater, but I was told that I’d have to choose an interdisciplinary minor that, in my mind, would be incredibly boring,” Katie says.
For as sure as Katie was, UWGB’s minor requirements asked her to expand her horizons and engage in another related discipline.
“Luckily, at that time UWGB was developing a minor called ‘Arts Management,’ which seemed like the best option for me,” Katie explains. “I chose it as my minor and completed it, becoming more interested as time went on but fully intending that it would be merely a blip on my educational radar. I had grand plans of going on to earn my Master’s degree in vocal performance and, ideally, earning a living either performing or teaching voice like my mentor Sarah Meredith.”
Along with personal support from Ellen Rosewall and musical guidance from William Witwer, Katie graduated with a Music major and Arts Management minor. Little did Katie know that her minor–the part of her academic career she didn’t plan on–would be of crucial importance in her professional career.
“I did indeed go on to earn my Master’s in voice, and I tried my hand at teaching voice myself. Sadly, I found teaching voice to not be right for me,” Katie explains. “During the time in between seasons with Opera for the Young, a position became available in their office as a Tour Manager. My having earned that minor in Arts Management so many years prior got my foot in the door to step into that position on the administrative side of a thriving arts organization.”
It turns out that Katie did find her voice, and she never thought that a minor in Arts Management would make it all possible.
“My choice to pursue Arts Management as a minor led to my current position of Operations Manager for Opera for the Young based in Madison, Wisconsin, and I couldn’t be happier,” Katie says.
Name: Katie Butitta
Grad Year: 2004
Major: Music, Vocal Performance
Minor: Arts Management
Photos submitted by: Katie Butitta
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We’ve asked alumni to either share stories of how their lives were transformed by the UWGB experience or how they are making the world a better place with transformational work in their careers, homes, or volunteer experiences. As UWGB celebrates its 50th Anniversary, meet an alum each week who has experienced a “UW-Green Bay Transformation.” Stories were self-submitted and then edited by Zachary Taylor, a 2010 English Education graduate currently serving as Interim Associate Director of the Phuture Phoenix program.