As a collegian, I hear at least once a week that these are "the best times of my life." Aunts, uncles, friends, coworkers, professors, even strangers all tell me that the next four (well... I am in denial that a month from now I will only have three left) years of my life will be superlative, unparalleled, and will completely transcend the rest of my life. Typically, this statement makes me a little queezy to think that the best of times are swiftly passing me, but after being at National Arts Advocacy this past weekend I am finally at ease with this statement. One weekend in D.C. with almost 600 other arts advocates helped me disprove this statement, but also add some validity to it as well.
Perhaps, the best of times are in fact happening right now! Afterall, it was such an amazing experience to witness the power of the arts and see this power translated into cold hard figures and numbers presented by Americans for the Arts. (http://www.americansforthearts.org/research) If you haven't checked out their data or website before I highly recommend it. Their research department opens up our eyes to the importance of theatre and the arts not only to its patrons but to our economic and education vitality as well.
It was even better that I was able to attend this event because of the generosity and support of my own educational institution, The University of Georgia. UGA is a historically prevalent research university and our honor's college supplies travel grants for students working in our research department and attending symposiums and conferences. As I applied for my own grant, I talked about the research that was used to argue our case at NAAD and the potential to research further as time goes on. I was thrilled and extremely blessed to have this opportunity afforded to me, making this seem like the best time of my life!
However, while I was amazed by this opportunity, I am not thoroughly convinced that this age-old saying is holding true. Above all else, National Arts Advocacy Day convinced me that the best is yet to come. It was inspiring to stand with so many different people from so many different walks of life and fight for what we believe in. I visited Capitol Hill with high school students as well as retired professionals which illustrated that advocacy is an endeavor for everyone to take on regardless of age. This experience also gave me a great deal of hope for the future as we spoke with congressional members and staffers who were captivated by our voices that all rang out as one. Undoubtedly the future is bright for all arts advocates as long as we keep up the rough and tough work.
Leaving my favorite place in the world (Washington D.C.) was extremely difficult for me, but as I returned to Athens I was comforted by the notion that while these may be "the best four years of my life" I have years and years of experience with the arts to come that will help me prove this maxim false!
All the love in the world,
Maggie Little
University of Georgia, Honors
Class of 2018