Abstract
Visual and performing arts (VPA) undergraduate students are a special population within the context of higher education who encounter a unique set of academic challenges throughout their academic careers. The needs of students in the arts are often times distinctly different from traditional academic concerns a non-arts college student may face. This presentation aims to outline specific academic and artistic realities VPA students face, how these can affect their academic growth, and how counselors can work collaboratively with students and staff at their institutions to create constructive responses and strategies to deal with issues that develop throughout the collegiate career of a VPA student.
Speaker Biography
Kelsey Duff
Kelsey is the Assistant Director for the Office of Student Services for UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. Kelsey gradated with a degree in Art from the School, and has been counseling visual and performing arts students for three years. Given her experience as both a student in the arts and as an academic advisor, Kelsey is interested in the impact a higher education research institution has on undergraduate students whose passion and programs of study appear to be antithetical to their environment.
Brenda Galvez
Brenda obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at the UCLA and her Master’s in the Educational Counseling program at USC. Brenda is currently the undergraduate advisor for the Music Industry Program, as well as one of the advisors for the departments of Music and Ethnomusicology. After working with students in the performing arts, she has grown an appreciation for their talents as well as their unique advising needs.
