You’re probably familiar with the fact that our alumni grace stages, studios, galleries, and screens worldwide. And you likely know about our alumni who work behind-the-scenes, in classrooms, or as arts administrators. But you may not know as much about our alumni working in places you might not expect — hospitals, courtrooms, salesfloors.
According to the 2022 SNAAP (Strategic National Arts Alumni Project) survey, which tracks the lives and careers of arts graduates across the country and including those from the U, 56% of participants worked in an arts-related field — meaning 44% are doing other interesting and impactful things.
For some students, passion for an artform and a desire to study don’t always manifest into a desire for that artform to become their professional work.
So, what do our alumni who work outside the arts do? And how do they feel about their degrees now? We caught up with three alumni who have had careers outside the arts and asked them these questions. From a wealth of soft skills to discipline and daily enrichment, these alumni show us the value of an arts education — even when they don’t end up under the spotlight.
Sierra
Sierra Govett, from Boulder, Colorado, graduated with a BFA in Ballet in 2018. However, she had the realization that she didn’t want to pursue a professional dance career while she was still at the U — so she double majored. “I knew I wanted a career related to the environment and hoped to help people in some way, though I didn’t have a specific goal in mind.”
Now, several years into her career, Govett has settled into her work for International Rescue Committee, a refugee resettlement and humanitarian aid organization that works with communities across the globe. Specifically, Govett manages a program called New Roots, which “provides agricultural land and improves food access for refugees and new Americans.”
“I didn’t set out to work in my current field,” said Govett, “but I truly believe it found me, and I genuinely love what I do.”
Govett has achieved her goal of working with the environment and helping people —but where does her Ballet degree come in?
“My arts degree has had a significant impact,” Govett says. “Many of the skills I developed—such as time management, flexibility, collaboration, organization, a strong work ethic, resilience, and effective communication—have proven incredibly valuable in my work today. These qualities shape how I approach challenges, connect with others, and adapt to changing demands.”
Additionally, Govett has not left the arts in her past. Despite managing a recent hip injury, she’s been involved as both dancer and choreographer with the local Salt Lake Ballet Cooperative (SLBC). “The company has cultivated a supportive and innovative culture,” she said. “It keeps the best parts of a traditional ballet company while reimaging the more challenging aspects.”
In this way, Sierra gets to combine her love of ballet with her love of helping people by being part of an organization that seeks to change aspects of dance culture. Salt Lake Ballet Cooperative, Govett says, “[operates] under a cooperative management structure, fostering inclusivity for all genders and body types, encouraging dancers to listen to their bodies, and staging unique performances in nontraditional spaces.”
While Sierra may not be paying her bills via a career in the arts, they continue to enrich Govett’s life, making it vibrant and fun. “Being involved in the arts through [SLBC] has been incredibly fulfilling.”
Paul
(photo: courtesy of The Expressive Way)Paul Chaus graduated from the BFA Actor Training Program in 2014. However, he found himself tiring of auditions and yearning for more stability than the life of a freelance actor could provide.
It was around this time that he participated in a theatre piece titled “The Heart: Feeling in a Modern World” at the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. For the piece, he and the other participants interviewed people about their emotions and the ways the modern world affected them.
“I was able to sit and listen to folks as they spoke about some of the most emotional things in their life,” Chaus said.
And then it hit him: “I have always known that theater has the power to help people… and therapists help people, so I came up with the great idea to use theater as a healing modality… I thought ‘perfect, stability as a therapist and creativity of theater.’” He began to do research, which led him to drama therapy programs, and he received his degree in counseling psychology with a drama therapy emphasis in 2021 from California Institute of Integral Studies.
Chaus now works for University of Utah Health as a mental health clinician, as well as a Mental Health First Responder. And his theater degree? “I use so many of the tools I learned from theater every day,” Chaus said, citing the structure of rehearsal and learning to practice effectively, working as a team, and improvising and adapting to changes.
“Since I have spent time working to understand the emotion characters are feeling, I am better able to connect with my clients. I have high emotional literacy — which is a fancy way to say I can notice and name feelings — which is beneficial to clients who may not be able to identify what it is they are feeling.”
One of the ways Chaus uses his theater background most is in his work using Tabletop Role-Playing Games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, as a therapeutic tool. The games, Chaus says, “provide a structured framework through the rules of the game… by having a rulebook, players can take moments which would be debilitating in regular life and focus on following the rules to move forward.” This allows players to practice their social interactions, face fears, and build their confidence and positive self-image, all through a modality that is fun, social, and approachable even for those who are resistant to traditional talk therapy.
Chaus sees even more ways that theater can help people and society. “I am working on theater pieces as a method to help the community process current world events and the silencing of minorities,” he said. “I hope that theater can be an avenue to build advocacy and shine a light on current issues our society is facing.”
Teresa
Teresa Welch didn’t begin her education at the U with the goal of becoming a judge. “Instead,” she said, “I started my educational goals with a desire to learn as much as I could about the subjects that I loved to study (music, philosophy, law, etc.), and I eventually became a judge.”
Welch has five degrees, four of which are from the University of Utah: bachelor’s degree in music for Violin Performance (’94), a bachelor’s degree in philosophy (’96), a master’s in philosophy (’02), a juris doctorate (’02), and finally a PhD in Criminal Justice from Nova Southeastern University.
Welch is now a District Court Judge for the Third District, Salt Lake County, State of Utah, and teaches philosophy courses at the U as an adjunct professor. Before she took the bench, she worked as a public defender for over 16 years.
But, it all began with music. “When I started college, I was focused on being the best violinist that I could be,” Welch said. “I had wonderful teachers who instilled in me a love and passion for music. My music studies eventually led me to study philosophy, and my philosophy led me to study law.”
The skills Welch gained from studying music have impacted her legal career — specifically, “discipline, patience, communication skills, the value of hard work, critical thinking and problem solving. My music degree facilitated my personal growth and this, in turn, promoted my occupational achievements.”
But, perhaps most importantly, Welch says that “music taught me the importance of listening.”
“Whether you are playing in an orchestra or string quartet, it’s always important for the musicians to be keenly aware of what other musicians around them are doing so that the music can be performed in the best possible manner. Likewise, I’ve learned that in order for me to be the best possible judge that I can be, it’s important that I carefully listen to and hear from the people who are in my courtroom. In other words, I believe that Justice and listening are intertwined.”
And music is still an important part of Welch’s life. “My job as a judge keeps me busy, but I still make time to play the violin, even if that means playing a solo Bach Partita at home for my dogs.” Welch is also in the First Violin section for the Salt Lake Symphony.
And, of course, Welch is still learning! “Within the last couple of years, I've also started to learn to play the piano. Music will always be a lifelong interest, love, and passion for me. I encourage others to learn a musical instrument and to experience the joy that comes along with doing so. Importantly, you are never too old to do so.”