BFA student Jackie dancing during her summer vacation | Photo courtesy Jackie Schiffner

By Jackie Schiffner

As odd as it may sounds, a summer away from school when you are part of USC Kaufman is far too long! While we all appreciate a few days off after our spring performances and finals, a three-month break from the rigor of our schedule was a huge adjustment for me last summer, not to mention a long stretch without seeing my Kaufman family every day. However, it also serves as a great time to work on some personal projects, seek different training, and work summer jobs and internships to expand my knowledge and experience.

Summer in Los Angeles

Luckily, this summer I will be living in Los Angeles for the first two months, and keeping myself very busy. Between taking summer school, taking various dance classes in LA, working on repertory with my peers, completing small projects, and enjoying various performance opportunities, I am excited to be constantly working on something new. Also, I am lucky to be living in LA with my best friends–what better way to spend our free time than by going to the beach, and exploring all that LA has to offer?

New City, new experiences

The day after my summer school class ends in June, I am heading to Austin, Texas, where I will be on staff at the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive. I am very excited to be involved in the “behind-the-scenes” of a summer intensive once again, where I not only have the opportunity to take class, but I also have a responsibility to mentor young dancers in the program and help make it the best program that it can be. With my experience from my job at USC Kaufman, I hope to contribute new ideas to this intensive. Additionally, I would love to gain new leadership skills that will help me with my Resident Assistant position at the USC Village in the fall. I am definitely looking forward to being in a new city and working in a new position in dance education.

Preparing for a New Year

At the end of July, following the completion of my job in Austin, I will be returning to Los Angeles to train for my Resident Assistant position at USC. After a long selection process and initial training, I was finally notified that I will be part of the Residential Assistant team at the brand new USC Village. I am looking forward to this opportunity, especially after commuting to USC from Huntington Beach every day last year. Not only am I excited to be living close to campus again (and this time with two of my best friends in a brand new apartment), but I am also looking forward to being a mentor to other USC students and organizing all of the programming that goes into the Resident Assistant position. Between the training for my new RA job, continuing my dance training, and enjoying my last few weeks of vacation in LA, I will wrap up my summer in my absolute favorite city!

While I am definitely ready to take on my full schedule this summer, I am already missing my Kaufman family! I can’t wait to be back in the studios and take on junior year with my peers this fall, where we will also welcome our freshman class of 2021.