For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed counting and categorizing things. As a young child, I created a catalog system for my personal library using both numbers and colors to distinguish the books in my collection. Math was always one of my favorite classes in school because it presented a puzzle that could be solved. I took a computer programming class in college—but while I enjoyed the challenge, I knew that as an extrovert I couldn’t spend all my time coding.

Parallel to my interest in math, was my love of art, dance, and theater. I grew up in a family of musicians. I studied ballet, tap, and jazz, and I performed in school plays and musicals. In college at Florida State University, U.S., alongside calculus and programming, I took drawing and painting classes. Originally, I had dreams of becoming a math teacher, but after my lackluster performance in calculus, I decided to take a different path. I chose to major in art history.

At first glance, art history seems to have no connection to math, but looking back, I can see that it provided my first experience in visual analysis. When I struggled to find work after college with an art history degree, I began to wonder if I could use my math and business skills to work for an arts organization. After researching my options, I decided to pursue a Master of Business Administration degree with concentrations in both arts administration and information systems management.