In early 2020, Jane Jelenko ’70 was thinking about her upcoming 50th Reunion and how she could support Barnard through a unique gift to the College. Then, in March, everything changed. The COVID-19 pandemic upended plans, and summer 2020 brought worldwide protests centered around Black Lives Matter. As a longtime arts supporter living in Los Angeles, Jane considered how she could make a philanthropic contribution that combined the arts, education, racial justice, and opportunity. She settled on creating a unique arts learning experience for newly graduated Barnard alums, the Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship at The Music Center, with the goal of expanding opportunities in arts administration for women and people of color, especially those seeking to jump-start a career in Los Angeles.
The program is Barnard’s first-ever Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship for graduating seniors at a nonprofit organization and provides 16 weeks of full-time pay at one of the nation’s leading performing arts complexes, which comprises the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Roy and Edna Disney / CalArts Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall. “By offering opportunities for the graduated students to immerse themselves in the day-to-day work of a nonprofit arts organization, this fellowship provided them with hands-on experiences and insights into what it means to be mission-driven,” said Bonnie M. Goodman, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications for The Music Center. “They had the chance not only to learn, but also to contribute directly to programs that will continue to reach Angelenos in meaningful ways.”
The fellowship is administered through Beyond Barnard, the College’s hub for advising and programs related to student employment, internships, career exploration, graduate and professional school, and competitive fellowships. For A-J Aronstein, Beyond Barnard’s Dean and Senior Advisor to the Provost, the fellowship exemplifies philanthropy in action. “It’s really the ideal situation, where an alumna’s vision matches up with a fabulous organization’s needs and Beyond Barnard’s desire to create runways for recent graduates looking to begin their careers,” Aronstein said. Jane hopes it will lead to similar Barnard fellowships across various industries and interests, a “learning experience model that can be replicated and changed as needed, something we can do on a broader scale.”
Maat Bates (above, left) and Soule Coram (right), both from the Class of 2021, were selected as the inaugural fellowship recipients. For Soule, it was an opportunity to branch out in a new direction and learn about both the arts and nonprofit administration. She started with analytics work and pivoted to helping develop a new website, a switch that taught her about multitasking, prioritization, and collaboration. She also learned it was okay to feel out of her element and ask questions. “Taking time and being comfortable expressing that I don’t know something about a situation — that’s a skill I took out of the fellowship experience and into the job I’m currently in,” Soule said. She plans to explore career opportunities that she hadn’t before, particularly paths in creative fields.
Maat participated in music activities and student-run organizations like Bacchanal all four years at Barnard and was excited to work directly with the Los Angeles community. As a production assistant and market researcher, she gained concrete experience programming for multigenerational audiences and learning how a mission-driven nonprofit approaches the business of performing arts. She was even hired for a position with Dublab Radio after meeting the executive director through her fellowship at The Music Center. She’s currently still living and working in Los Angeles, now as a Concerts Assistant at ICM Partners. Her advice for students and recent grads? Go for it. “Even if you don’t have all the qualifications, apply for it. Shoot any shot. Don’t think of rejection as a failure that’s against you or that there’s something [wrong] about you. It just wasn’t a good fit at that time. What’s meant for you will come.”
Applications are now open for the second year of the Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship.