Brief Profile

Kate Murphy

Writing Assignment #13 – Brief Profile

12-6-12

            The Sugar Plum Fairy now works at The College of St. Scholastica.

            Upon entering the Admissions office, the ringing of the phone is the music in the air. A family arrives, stating they have a 10 o’clock appointment.

            Is this family thinking that the woman greeting them with the heart-warming smile glided her way across the stage in almost every fairytale imaginable? 

            Sitting behind a deep-mahogany desk, she now spends her day answering numerous phone calls and coordinating campus visits for prospective students and their families.

            Before becoming the campus visit coordinator, Amanda Abrahamson dedicated her life toward the love of dance.

            “I danced professionally with the Minnesota Ballet for five years, until I was 30,” Abrahamson said. “The Minnesota Ballet is one of the top ballet companies in the Midwest and I loved being a ballerina.”

            Abrahamson pirouetted and chasséd through hundreds of performances. She was the principle dancer, or main role of Clara in the classic, Nutcracker, but the majority of her roles were on the darker side. Thinking back on her experiences with the company, she laughed at the irony of her dance roles compared to her work today.

            “People say that I am a welcoming, motivated and pleasant person,” Abrahamson said. “Admissions is one of the first places the family sees, so I try to be as welcoming as possible. But while in the ballet, I noticed that I usually had the evil or aggressive character roles. For whatever reason, I did well at being evil.”

            Abrahamson performed in countless ballets, such as Sleeping Beauty to Swan Lake. In the spring of 2010, she decided it was time to “retire.” Her retirement was a transition; Swanilda in Coppélia one day, to the first face many curious students see upon entering Admissions in Tower Hall, the next.

            Does she miss the graceful and elegant life she once had? After pondering this question, Abrahamson came to the conclusion that she knew it was time to retire. And she’s happy with her decision. For a year and a half she has been the reason why students can schedule visits, and noted that CSS has become a place she has fallen in love with.

            Abrahamson may love CSS, but the five years of pointe shoes, tutus and leotards will forever hold a special place in the campus visit coordinator’s heart.

*Abrahamson is responsible for coordinating campus visits. Visit css.edu to get more information about Admissions.
**Picture by Kate Murphy