Roslinde Rivera has been going to Starlight since she was a child, but now her view of the stage is a little different.
Rivera, who is pursuing her MBA and graduate certificates in performance and performing arts management, was a marketing intern for Starlight.
Rivera was interested in arts administration and knew the UMKC performance arts management certificate would be a perfect fit for her career goals. When she met with faculty member Lisa Anderson Bongers, they narrowed down Rivera’s focus to find an internship to jumpstart her career path.
“I’m interested in marketing and development, so we had a conversation about what places would be best for me to start in marketing,” Rivera said. “When Starlight came up on that list, I was very interested.”
“Having that connection to Starlight and able to come back to a place I love, that was really important to me,” Rivera said.
Working at Starlight gave Rivera the opportunity to hone her marketing skills in a supportive environment. She put together press kits, wrote blog posts, managed social media and worked with outside partners.
“One thing that I always look for in a workplace is great community,” Rivera said. “Being at Starlight has really shown me what a good community looks like in how people treated each other.”
Starlight is a natural fit for Rivera, a singer and performer.
Rivera knew her hometown had endless opportunities, both as a student and beyond.
“Being able to go to a local university that has so many connections is incredible,” Rivera said. “Kansas City has so many opportunities, and I don’t think a lot of people realize the connections, especially if you’re wanting to go and perform.”
“There are people in all different paths of life and they’re all working toward something,” Rivera said. “If you’re starting out and you’re terrified and you don’t know what to do, you have people that you can look up to. And I think that’s just really invaluable.”