Elizabeth Glander believes that if you aim for the stars, your potential is limitless. Her road to Walsh as an undergraduate student in Museum Studies began after retirement from her first career as a professional ballet dancer.
“I started ballet around age six and moved to en pointe (dancing in pointe shoes) when I was 10. Every summer starting at age twelve, I would attend 3-6 week-long summer dance intensives in addition to my regular school year training which involved dancing 20-25 hours a week in the dance studio,” said Glander. “In ninth grade, I attended Harid Conservatory, a boarding school for ballet. Then, in my senior year of high school I moved to Wisconsin where I had the opportunity to dance professionally with the Milwaukee Ballet as a trainee. I finished high school online to support my dance career.”
Her professional ballet career included dancing with the Milwaukee Ballet (WI), Louisville Ballet (KY), Dayton Ballet (OH), and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PA). She retired in May 2018 as a professional ballet dancer and enrolled at Walsh in fall 2018 where she could focus her energy on her next career as an arts conservator.
“I found Walsh online and saw that the University had a Museum Studies program which looked very well rounded,” said Glander. “Since arriving, I have been able to learn about all aspects of museums. Many museums are small organizations, but regardless of size it’s important that museum professionals understand the bigger issues the organization faces, even if the professional is mostly focused on one particular aspect.”
Glander notes that Walsh was the only university with a museum studies program that required she complete an internship as a part of the course requirements. And to her that was a huge selling point.
“This meant that I could get into art conservation as part of my undergraduate learning and receive college credit for my work,” said Glander. “Walsh has allowed me to explore my passion for conserving art. All the classes I have taken have provided me with groundwork to support my future career path. I even have a chemistry professor who will be working with me on an art conservation project.”
Beginning in her first year, she became active on campus with the Genesius Players, working backstage and choreographing dances for the spring musical "Spelling Bee." She served as Vice President and Treasurer of the Museum Engagement Team (MET) during her sophomore year and as a volunteer in the Walsh University Archives.
Glander also credits her professors and the team in Walsh’s Accessibility Support Office for helping her to find the support she needed to reach both her personal and professional goals.
“What really surprised me about Walsh was how supportive and encouraging the faculty and staff are to students,” said Glander. “Everyone has also been super supportive of me because I am dyslexic and I have anxiety, depression, and PTSD. If I need a little extra help, the faculty have bent over backwards to help me succeed. And the team in the Accessibility Support office is awesome!”
Much like the hours she spent training to be a professional ballet dancer, her time at Walsh has helped to lay a strong foundation to embark on a career that combines her passion for art and conservation.
“I plan on completing my required pre-program hours of art conservation in order to get into grad school and complete my master's in art conservation,” said Glander. “After that, I plan to shoot for the stars!”
READ MORE WALSH STUDENT STORIES HERE
