Orchestra Manager for the Preparatory Division at The Juilliard School
Olivia is the Orchestra Manager for the Preparatory Division at The Juilliard School. Orchestra Managers are largely in charge of scheduling and production, such as making sure rehearsals, concerts and auditions run smoothly, as well as working with the music director/conductor to set rehearsal and performance schedules. They supervise auditions, and oversee venue preparation.
What inspired you to be in your chosen career?
I have known I wanted to work in music since I was 7 years old and picked up the trumpet for the first time. I graduated from college in the Spring of 2020, a rather tumultuous time for the world, so I’m still experimenting with careers, but being in the arts has always been a certainty.
How has your SAS education/culture helped you in your career?
I am who I am because of the beliefs and values taught at St. Anthony. I spent the majority of my academic career there and had every major moment in my young life happen because of the passion our teachers had for their students. I am currently living and working in New York City because of the work our band director, Everett Yamashita, put in to get us to Carnegie Hall, twice.
What do you love most about your work?
I have dreamed of working in a music environment like Juilliard, but I never thought I’d get the opportunity while growing up on Maui. I LOVE being here and helping kids get the best musical education they can.
What are some challenges involved in your line of work?
Working in any aspect of the arts can be quite demanding. You need to be quick on your feet, a great multitasker, detail-oriented, but most of all compassionate. It takes many people to put on a concert, set up a rehearsal, run auditions, etc. and it’s important you remember that and respect everyone’s time and attention.
What advice would you give students who are considering taking a similar career path?
To any other student hoping to make a career in the arts, be it music, dance, theatre, or the visual arts, I advise you to make as many connections as you can, ask all the questions, practice, practice, practice, and most of all, believe in yourself.
A lot of people are intimidated by the music industry and how cut throat it is. While there is some truth to this, I have also found that you will meet some of the kindest, most good-natured people in the world while working in any aspect of music. Everyone is so incredibly knowledgeable and confident, which is beyond admirable and quite inspiring.
Any other hobbies?
I love to light a candle and get lost in a good book when I want to wind down from a long day or a stressful week. It is so, so important to take the time to take care of yourself, however you see fit.
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Featured Alumni
Joylynn Maglente Tonu, Class of 1997
Flight Attendant with Hawaiian Airlines
Joy is from the class of 1997 at SAS. She attended college in Montana for two years and then decided to come home and graduate from the University of Hawaii. For the past 20 years, Joy worked as a Flight Attendant with Hawaiian Airlines
“I’ve always enjoyed traveling from the time I was a little girl. When I took Japanese in the summer after my High School freshman year, I was chosen to go to Japan on an exchange program with Mrs. Yamanoue. I loved it! It was then that I realized I wanted to travel the world.
“Being a flight attendant allows you to meet new people, travel the world, eat a variety of food, and still get paid for it! Although COVID has put a hold on traveling to many international destinations, I am hopeful we will all get back to traveling and see the world once again.”
Sherrie Dodson, Class of 1979
Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity Maui
Sherrie Dodson is the current Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Maui.
What inspired you to be in your chosen career? After Law School I worked in the legal field for 13 years and then decided to help our community in a more powerful way. What I love most about this job is having the opportunity to help our community and working with families who realize the dream of homeownership. There is so much to be done but not enough resources.
Habitat for Humanity Maui is a hand up, not a hand out. Our families are hard working members of our community.
How has your SAS education/culture helped you in your career? A counselor, Sister Joan, met with me when I was a freshman and told me I could do anything I wanted to, including becoming a lawyer. I ran with it.
What advice would you give students who are considering taking a similar career path? It is rewarding when you can help others. It doesn’t feel like work. Make sure to enjoy what you do because if you do, you will be successful.
Ray Oen, Class of 1981
Ray is the the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Bastyr University, the leading center for natural health arts and sciences with over 20 different degree and certificate programs including the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine and Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Bastyr University programs offer a multidisciplinary curriculum at campuses in Seattle, WA and San Diego, CA. Ray has management oversight and responsibility for all financial functions of the University including revenue, budgets, expenses, capital expenditures, investments, and debt.
His other operational responsibilities include oversight for Information Technology, Clinic Business Operations, Dispensary, Bookstore, Dining Services and Facilities Management. The annual budget at Bastyr University is $40 million. Prior to joining Bastyr University, Ray served as CFO at Treehouse for Foster Kids, a non-profit social services organization in Seattle providing educational needs to youth in the foster care system with an annual budget of $17 million, and he also served as CFO at a private family owned manufacturing business with an annual budget of $90 million.
What inspired you to be in your chosen career?
What’s interesting is that this wasn’t my original career choice. When I started college, my career goal was to go into medicine and become a doctor. That changed during my Junior year in college when the reality of applying for and paying for medical school applications set in. It caused me to reflect on my choice and do a little soul searching as to my motivation for going to medical school. As it turns out, I wanted to go to medical school for all the wrong reasons. I went into a different career direction after graduating from college and joined the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Officer program and became a nuclear submarine officer engineer, which I did for 6 years. After completing my initial service obligation, I went back to school for my Masters in Business Association (MBA) which is when I pivoted into the world of finance and business.
How has your SAS education/culture helped you in your career?
One of the lessons I learned at SAS was the notion of service leadership, which I have been able to apply to every position with every company I’ve been part of in my career, including my time serving in the military. I was involved in several leadership positions in the student council when I was at SAS. In reflecting upon this time, I’ve realized this is where the foundation for the leadership principles that I would rely on in my career was established.
I have an example of a specific class I took at SAS that has been one of the most useful classes I took and that has helped in throughout my career. I took Speech class from Mr. Raymond Abregano and was a member of the speech club, where I had to participate in several speech tournaments. I competed in original expository. It wasn’t an activity or class that the cool kids did and to be honest, I didn’t really love giving speeches or public speaking. I remember in one of the first tournaments that I competed in, I forgot a portion of my speech. They had to be memorized. I was terrified and it felt like an eternity when I was trying to remember my speech. I’m sure it was only a few seconds and nobody really actually noticed. But, I was sure everyone noticed and was watching me sweat it out.
When I was in middle school, I took a typing class in summer school. I was the only boy in that class and admittedly, it didn’t interest me at all but I still went through it. In retrospect, I am so happy I learned to type in that class. Besides helping me tremendously in my own school work in college when computers and word processors were just being introduced, it provided me with an opportunity to earn a little extra cash to help pay for my college expenses. I started a little side business of typing papers for my friends and brothers in the fraternity that I joined. I would charge $1 per page if it didn’t require proofreading or correcting grammatical errors. Otherwise, I would charge $2 per page. The classes I took in SAS are life skills I take for granted, but now truly appreciate and grateful for.
Top right photo (L-R): Graduation photo of Ray Oen, Rosemarie Janosko, Susan Moniz, Andrea Stuhr, and Kirk Gregor. Left photo: Andrea Stuhr and Ray Oen Homecoming picture: Echo Clement and Ray Oen. “We were the senior class homecoming representatives and part of the homecoming court. We got to sit on the back of the convertible and drive around the football field as part of the parade of floats.”
What do you love most about your work?
I enjoy working for an organization where everyone who is here, whether staff, faculty or administrative support are all focused on our mission. There is something about working for a mission driven organization that has been more rewarding for me personally than working for a large shareholder driven company. The variety of issues, challenges and problems that cross my desk on a daily basis keeps me engaged and growing here at Bastyr. On a typical day, I might be involved in a discussion with my Controller about the nuances of revenue recognition for federal grants received from the CARES Act, making decisions with my fellow President’s Cabinet members about personnel cost cutting measures at the University in response to lower than planned enrollment, or authorizing maintenance work on our boiler and heating system on campus.
What are some challenges involved in your line of work?
One of the biggest challenges I face as a CFO is keeping up to date and current with changes in accounting policies, reporting requirements and standards. This has been especially difficult this past year with the introduction of the various federal and state grants and aid in response to the COVID pandemic impact on businesses. Another challenge I have in my current role is a lack of financial resources and funding for all the priorities and projects we have at the University. The list of programs, projects and initiatives for us is much bigger than the available funds we have to invest in them at this time. So, we have to prioritize them. A challenge that I face in working at Bastyr University is the misconception by some in the public that NDs are not real doctors because they did not attend medical school. There is a public misunderstanding that Naturopathic Doctors offer alternative medical treatments that are not based on science. This is not accurate.
What advice would you give students who are considering taking a similar career path?
Be flexible and open minded to notice when a career opportunity that you might not have considered is presenting itself to you. The example in my life and career is the time I served in the Navy as a submarine officer. This wasn’t an option that was even on my radar when I was in high school. In fact, to be honest, I would say that I carried a negative bias about military service when I was in high school. This certainly changed as I learned more about the opportunities that a career in the military service can provide someone.
Ray was commissioned as an Ensign through Office Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, then completed a year and a half of nuclear power engineering and submarine training. He served for 6 years aboard 3 different submarines in San Diego, CA and Bangor, WA. During that time, he qualified as a Submarine Warfare Officer and Nuclear Engineer. Ray was an O-3, Lieutenant.
What do you do when you want to relax and take care of your mental health?
I enjoy exploring the beautiful outdoors that the Pacific Northwest has to offer, including hiking, kayaking, skiing and camping. There are so many beautiful places here in Washington where I can get away, remove myself from technology and take my mind off of work to recharge. I also find time to work out daily to try and keep myself physically fit. Recently, I’ve started doing yoga, which I’ve found to be very relaxing and beneficial, especially as I’m getting older. The other activity that bring some joy and recharges me is gardening and yard work. I can spend a full weekend day outdoors (in the summer) in my yard cutting the grass, weeding, or pruning. And I feel really good afterwards.
