Hello and welcome to the Graduate Admissions Blog! My name is Sharon Leatherwood and I am thrilled to be the graduate student blogger for the 2014-2015 school year at Bank Street College.
I am here to share with you my experiences as a first year graduate student at Bank Street and to help with any questions or concerns you may have during the admissions process. While completing my application last spring, I turned to the blog for guidance on applying and to get general information about Bank Street. I found the posts very informative and I hope I can do the same for you! Applying to Graduate School can be stressful and confusing. I will try and answer any and all questions that might come up during the process. I’ll also tell you a bit about other experiences at Bank Street this year and what it’s like living and being a student in New York City.
I grew up in sunny Southern California and received my BFA in Musical Theater from Cal State Fullerton. My love for theater brought me east to New York City. My career change into education was definitely foreshadowed by the kinds of acting jobs I was booking. Many of my gigs involved performing for children. I had many adventures and wonderful times performing musical versions of beloved kids books in schools and theaters around the east coast. While pursuing theatrical endeavors I also began working with children as a babysitter and a nanny. As time went on I discovered that I had a strong connection to children and an interest in their development. I also found that working with children felt much more rewarding to me than theatrical pursuits. By chance, I overheard a conversation about an education program at a place called “Bank Street” on a crowded subway. After further researching Bank Street it really felt like the right place for me. I decided to enroll in the Early Childhood & Childhood dual education program.
So here I am in my first semester at Bank Street getting back into the groove of being a student after a seven-year hiatus. It’s been quite an adjustment, but with every class and new experience it is clear that Bank Street is a special place and I’m excited to be here. I can’t wait to share more stories with you and hopefully be a resource to help you on your journey!