Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Young.
Hi Carrie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have been singing and performing in the arts my entire life, eventually earning degrees in Vocal Performance and studying opera. I completed my Master’s degree in Vocal Performance at the Moores School of Music (Moores Opera Center) at the University of Houston in 2004. During my graduate studies, I began singing in the Houston Grand Opera chorus and remained with them for nearly 10 years. I also began working at San Jacinto College, eventually moving into academic advising. In 2008, the Academic Advisor position at the Moores School of Music at UH opened. I got that job, which changed my life. Working with music students was a perfect fit for me. When the College of the Arts was formed at UH, I became the founding Director of Academic Affairs and Student Success and worked in that position for five years.
I decided to leave UH in August of 2021 for many of the same reasons that women and mothers of young children made major life adjustments during the pandemic. Despite leaving my position, I still wanted to work with students, provide a resource for them, and share encouraging messages with them as they try to find their path. My podcast, Paths in Progress, shares stories of professionals across a variety of fields, who often overcame significant challenges, had to work around major roadblocks or changed course completely either by choice or because of something out of their control. My hope is that students hear these inspiring stories and are encouraged that they, too, can overcome these things and find the career path that best suits them. I am working to build a resource with these stories because they also contain ideas for students regarding internships, college programs, majors, minors, student organizations, and first jobs out of college–or perhaps entire career paths they didn’t know existed. Each guest gives valuable advice they have learned as they traveled their path. In May 2022, Broadway on Demand picked up my podcast as one of the first podcasts on their platform, to share the stories of the many performing artists who have been featured on Paths in Progress.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The pandemic was especially challenging for people in the Arts, people in Education, and people with young children who lost daycare options–I was in all three of those situations! I was fortunate to work with some incredibly creative and supportive people, and I am thankful for the creativity and innovation that that pandemic forced us to discover. I’m still working and learning to design my life and my workspace in a way that allows me to be creative, to teach and encourage students, and to be present for my children and my family.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My students would tell you what sets me apart from others is that I truly care about them, and my words and actions confirm that. My colleagues will tell you that I’m a strong advocate for my students and for the Arts, and I’m quite vocal about that! I’m proud of the relationships I have with my colleagues and my former students, many of which have continued and grown years after they have graduated. The people who are in my life as a result of working in education and the arts are what I treasure most about my work.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
One of the most important things is to truly know yourself and make sure you support and honor that in your work and in your relationships with others. Starting out, I think a lot of young people try to fit into the mold they think is expected of them instead of finding the place where you are truly accepted and valued for who you are. Knowing yourself is something that happens at a deeper level as you get older, but I wish I had spent more time with myself as a young person and taken that into account more seriously when thinking about my career path. As much as I loved music and opera, my personality and the things that mean the most to me did not fit with the lifestyle of an opera singer. I didn’t put that together until much later in my education.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pathsinprogress.buzzsprout.com/
- Instagram: @pathsinprogresspodcast
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074758219782
Image Credits
Artwork by Houston Graphic Designer, Edgar Alanis Photography (headshot) by Pinell Photography Theme music for podcast by Houston composer John Grimmett
