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Alumni Spotlight: Alexis Allenbaugh

Since graduating in May, I had the amazing opportunity to spend the summer in Cortland, New York working as the audio engineer for Cortland Repertory Theatre. I mixed "Hair" and "Kiss Me, Kate" and sound designed "Over the River and Through the Woods." I installed the sound system from ground up, learned my way around the Behringer x32 console, and worked with some truly incredible creatives. Unfortunately, my summer got cut short by a month due to a COVID outbreak among the cast and production team, we were two performances into "Murder on the Orient Express," and rehearsals for "Mary Poppins" were just about to begin. With the fear of being stuck living in my grandparent's basement, I used this new opportunity to look for work. Although I wanted to explore the possibility of touring or free-lancing as a sound designer/audio engineer, I also applied to regional theaters all over the country. Over the course of two weeks and interviews and many emails, I was offered a few different positions and ultimately chose to move to Washington D.C. Currently, I am a sound and video technician for Arena Stage. I was the A2 for the Atlantic Festival and I got to mic and interact with some interesting and important people. I am also the audio engineer for "Sanctuary City" which is getting remounted here at Arena Stage. I'm working on a Yamaha M7CL and learning the intricacies of Dante. More exciting things are sure to come in the future, but already I have learned so much and I'm just getting started. Finally, I would like to say that without the support of professors and friends from WVU, I wouldn't be where I am today. For that, I will be forever thankful for my time at WVU and will forever be a proud Mountaineer!

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Alumni Spotlight: Mateo Fuentes

I started my education at WVU in the Horticulture program. I had chosen WVU because they offered programs that spoke directly to my personal interests. However, I quickly realized that my love for plants didn't necessarily translate into a love of horticulture. I saw some amazing student work coming out of the College of Creative Arts and took a few classes on a whim. The faculty's passion and expertise were contagious so I changed majors to the BFA program and never looked back. 

The art program at WVU isn't just classes. It's visiting artist lectures, internships, live artist demos, one-on-one critiques with practicing artists, faculty and student exhibitions, and more. This robust program spoke directly to my artistic interests and provided me with a well-rounded art education from which to build my career.

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