Marisa Valent

Educator Profile: Marisa Valent

It’s been a minute since we last had an educator profile to share with you, and what better way to draw the spotlight back into focus than featuring the coordinator of Soundings herself, manager of the spotlights in the FAC: Marisa Valent!

Marisa Valent
Marisa Valent

You may know her from her cheerful emails inviting the community to participate in and enjoy Soundings events. Or perhaps you’ve come across her while trying to navigate through the Fine Arts Center. Now that she’s donning one more hat (as reported by President Spiro in his recent update) her outgoing demeanor is likely to be felt (and enjoyed) in even more corners of the university.

This isn’t her first educational rodeo though. Prior to joining Castleton in October 2019, she was a teaching artist with the Syracuse City School District in Syracuse, NY where she taught students from Pre-K through 5th grade theater: in a dual language classroom! That’s right: in addition to teaching in English she can also teach in Spanish!

When asked about her role as an educator at Castleton, Marisa pointed out that “I do teach a couple of classes through Soundings and the Killington program” and went on to share that “Just because I’m not in a classroom all the time doesn’t mean I’m not always teaching. I love educating. It’s my passion. I’m always looking for more opportunities to get more involved in education here. I’m also great at public speaking (it’s the actor in me) and I love lecturing, so if anyone can think of any arts or arts administration related things they want guest lecturers on, I would love to help out.”

This education-positive attitude serves her well in her role as Soundings coordinator and Fine Arts Center manager: whether it’s training a work study student, helping a nervous first year decide on which Soundings events to attend, or assisting faculty with booking a space for group work or rehearsals Marisa is your gal for any and all questions about the FAC (and Soundings)!

But she’s more than just her official role: “I try my best to be as helpful as I can in any way that I can. I also think that everyone can remember that you can work in an administration role and still be an artist. I spend a lot of my time outside of work writing, directing, and acting in plays… it’s always fun when people see me be creative for the first time and realize that I do a lot more than work in an office!” This means she’s also a really great role model for our students on how to enjoy your job but not give up your passion projects!

And if that’s not enough? She also collects rubber ducks.

By Gillian Galle

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