Like all professional dancers, GDBA graduate and MBA candidate Katherine Cowie always knew that one day she would want to transition to a new career. For over 18 years, the Juilliard School alumna travelled the world and enjoyed a successful career in the performing arts with roles as a performer, teacher, rehearsal director, collaborator, and artistic coach. When she decided it was time to put down new roots, she looked to her hometown of Vancouver for a business school that reflected her values and future goals.

My experience at SFU Beedie

Everyone at SFU Beedie has a sense of purpose, and there is an air of determination and focus throughout the school.

I like that SFU Beedie takes a holistic approach to the curriculum. I was not interested in achieving a specialization but wanted to receive a broadened understanding of the world, which is exactly what SFU Beedie provides. I also like that the Segal Graduate School of Business is located in downtown Vancouver. It is energizing to start the day in the heart of the busy downtown core.

My Journey

In the last few years of my career, I was balancing performance contracts with work as a teacher and choreographic assistant, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This sparked a larger curiosity in the business of arts, entertainment, and the non-profit world, which led me to the GDBA program at SFU Beedie.

Business education is a far cry from being a performing artist, but I find that my curiosity of how everything fits together and functions has been amplified at SFU Beedie. Being a successful student requires discipline and a strong work ethic, which are not unfamiliar to a ballet dancer. I felt I could hit the ground running in September. I am able to keep up with my talented classmates, and with their help, I am improving my self-confidence as I navigate this new world outside of the dance studio.

After living and working abroad for the past 18 years, it has been enlightening to finally be able to study and articulate my experiences across borders working in an internationally diverse medium such as the performing arts.

Highlights

By receiving scholarship awards, for which I am deeply grateful, I have not only been given a boost of confidence, but also the opportunity to meet noteworthy individuals in the non-profit world who are excited about my future. I am gaining not only the education but also the confidence to move forward into new and sometimes intimidating territory.

I am currently a part of the Student Ambassador program and will help onboard the incoming class as they receive their acceptance letters and start to prepare for the year ahead. I relied on my own Student Ambassador to answer questions and concerns I had upon embarking in my program in September and found her to be a great resource.

Where I am today

When I am not in class or studying, I am teaching dance at Arts Umbrella on Granville Island. I find teaching to be far more fun, energizing, and rewarding than I had ever imagined as a young student myself, and something I hope to continue to balance as I embark on a new professional future.