|
Kierstyn Hunter
M.A. Whole Systems Design, 2007
If you ask her why she chose Antioch, Kierstyn Hunter will say it was an intuitive decision. She had just moved to Seattle from London, where she had been working with youth offenders placed in care homes.
"I didn't really choose Antioch," she says, "I stumbled upon it.
"I had recently opted not to accept a position in an M.A. program abroad and had moved to Seattle. Once out here, I ended up on a mailing list somehow and decided to come in to see what the Center for Creative Change program entailed.
"It was an intuitive decision and a lesson learned in trusting my instincts. I don't think I could have chosen a more appropriate program for the place I was, at the time I made this choice."
She points to key faculty members who inspired her.
"I have gained much inspiration from both Sadru Boga and Barb Spraker. Both of these individuals have an amazing energy about them that breathes inspiration into their students.
"Barb's welcoming personality invites not only friendship but also creativity in thought and a heartfelt purpose to students' work.
"Sadru has pushed me to challenge my thoughts and to reach an entire new level of comprehension with my graduate learning. His genuine interest in my growth as a student impacted my commitment to my studies and has truly helped me to see my potential for the future. But probably more than anything, Sadru shared more through his unending sense of humor and lightheartedness," Hunter says.
Kris Tucker
M.A. Whole Systems Design, 2006
Kris Tucker says her job is at the intersection of state government and the arts.
As executive director of the Washington State Arts Commission, her career is devoted to talking about and documenting how the arts matter. Tucker is a community-based political activist, appointed to her position by former Gov. Gary Locke.
With a staff of 18, she cultivates the arts statewide with outreach and education efforts, grants and a state arts program. Those are what she describes as the tangibles. Less tangible is how to advocate for the arts when state budget crises are as common as black ice in a Washington winter.
"When we talk about the economics of the arts are we selling out our integrity and meaning? The value of things is not about art. The arts are about chaos and order, beauty, harmony and balance," Tucker says.
Antioch turned out to be a great fit for her. "I came to Antioch to provoke my thinking as well as to channel it. Antioch is a non-traditional school and I’m a non-traditional student."
She applies her studies in whole systems design to many aspects of life. A holistic systems approach opens rather than narrows one's thinking, she notes.
"With every class I take, I'm surprised by the openness of what happens. It's my responsibility to make a class work for me, which makes it that much more demanding. I can't expect the instructor or fellow classmates to do it for me. That’s as exciting as it is daunting.
"Systems thinking is so complex yet so simple. It’s very rich stuff," Tucker says.
|
