The Oklahoma City University alumni chapter based in Washington D.C. will offer their first spring break experience in 2020.
The OCUDC Arts Management Exchange will provide students with workshops and discussions centered around arts education, entrepreneurship and the intersection between art, culture and politics, as well as meet-and-greets with leaders from the arts management field and cultural sight visits.
The event will take place March 17-20 in Washington D.C.
Jeff Poulin, OCUDC event chair and OCU alumnus, said the alumni network has been in development for years.
“For the past several years, a group of alumni from the Washington D.C. region have been working with former President Henry and the alumni office to build this network, for a vast number of reasons,” Poulin said. “We really just wanted to give back to current OCU students in whatever way we could.”
Poulin said the event was modeled in alignment with OCUNYC, a spring break experience created by OCU alumni living in New York City.
“It’s the same style of programing,” Poulin said. “The difference is OCUNYC is geared towards performers, while OCUDC is focused on arts management and policies. We’re geared towards folks looking into dance management, entertainment business, music business, and those interested in the leadership aspects of the industry.”
Noah Morgan, music theater/vocal performance sophomore, said he believes OCUDC can inspire students and give them the push they need to follow their dreams.
“For anyone in college, the world feels so big, and it’s scary,” Morgan said. “Having the opportunity to travel on your own and explore an environment that could possibly be your future home is incredible, and that’s what OCUNYC gave me. The fact that OCUDC has the potential to provide that same experience to so many other students is very uplifting.”
Morgan said he hopes other alumni networks develop their own spring break programs in the future.
“The more programs student have, the better,” Morgan said. “I was fully embraced by the alumni and the city itself on my OCUNYC trip, which minimized my fears and increased my drive and inspiration. Now OCUDC can offer that to students of other majors, and hopefully, one day, other alumni groups will get inspired and start programs of their own.”
Poulin said programs like OCUDC are important for students who wish to have hands-on experience in their respective fields before graduation.
“At OCU, or any college, you’re looking at things from a theoretical or abstract perspective,” Poulin said. “Programs like this really focus on getting students out there so they can see how to apply the skills they’ve learned. It’s really important to see things as they actually are, in practice, because theory at the university level isn’t always directly connected to what is happening on the ground in the real world.”
Poulin said he hopes OCUDC can build connections between students and alumni.
“It’s really important to network with people,” Poulin said. “Particularly in the arts and cultural field, who you know is a really important element of progress in your career. Building those connections is fundamental, and we hope to help establish those connections.”
Poulin said he hopes OCUDC can inspire students to explore opportunities throughout the country.
“Most folks don’t think of the nation’s capital as a place brimming with art or culture,” Poulin said. “People’s minds immediately go to New York, Chicago or L.A. However, because of the federal investment in the arts, Washington D.C. has an incredible presence that showcases how we support culture in this country, and is a beautiful example of diversity in the United States.”
Pre-registration is open until Dec. 13, with a $125 registration fee due Feb. 1.
For questions, students can email Poulin at jeff@jeffmpoulin.com or visit OCUDC’s website, bitly/OCU-DC.
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