Image
MORE ABOUT ERIN
Erin Green, you’re graduating with a degree in dance from Hofstra. What’s next?
Image
“I’m going to Disney World!”
Joking aside, this Hofstra senior is in fact heading to Orlando, FL, after May commencement to participate in the Disney College Program. The competitive paid internship gives those accepted to the program a chance to work behind the scenes at Disney, live in company housing, network with corporate leaders, and explore career opportunities that may be available after the four-month program concludes.
Erin is hoping to be a character performer in the Disney parks. She auditioned in Orlando earlier this year and is excitedly waiting to learn her assignment.
“I've been wanting to do the Disney College Program ever since I learned about it my first year of college,” said Erin. “I've always loved Disney. I think they're a great company, and it aligns with what I would like to do professionally.”
Working and living in a welcoming and fun environment is something Erin looks forward to at Disney and has valued during her time at Hofstra.
She remembers having to attend college open houses on zoom in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was tough to decide where I wanted to go when I couldn’t visit the campuses in person,” Erin said. “But even through the virtual meetings, Hofstra made me feel like I had a place here. Everyone I met welcomed me with open arms.”
Of all the colleges she was considering, Erin said that Hofstra’s location was the most appealing. “It’s near New York City, which has so many opportunities for performing arts students,” she said. “I felt that was where I’d make the strongest professional connections. I’ve been taught by professors who are a part of the New York City dance scene. I’ve worked with incredible guest choreographers, taken classes at Steps on Broadway and the Peridance Center, and attended so many shows during my time here.”
On campus, Erin has performed every semester in the Faculty Dance Concerts at Hofstra’s John Cranford Adams Playhouse. She also twice choreographed a work for the Student Rep, a showcase held every fall and spring to feature student-produced and directed theater and dance.
Many faculty have made Erin’s Hofstra experience memorable. “One of my most important mentors has been Alexandra Williamson, a professor with whom I’ve taken Irish dance and several modern dance classes,” said Erin. “I’m incredibly grateful to her because she helped me land my first professional job in Céilí, presented by Darrah Carr Dance and the Seán Curran Company at the Irish Arts Center last December.”
Though she may be headed to the self-proclaimed “most magical place on Earth,” Erin said she’ll miss her Hofstra friends and professors. “I have a family here. Everyone I’ve met through the dance program has touched my soul and made me the person I am today.”
» Erin’s story isn’t unique. In fact, among Hofstra University’s 2021-2022 undergraduate degree recipients, 93% of alumni from the School of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts who responded to a graduation survey or other reliable sources (79% knowledge rate) reported they were employed or had started or were planning to start graduate school within one year of graduation. Visit our outcomes page at hofstra.edu/outcomes for detailed information.