Mary Hester

I am a Dance and Interdisciplinary Studies Major at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. I am a Linehan Artist Scholar, and have been admitted to an Accelerated BA/Master's Program in Public Policy (Education) at UMBC. I am an Undergraduate Research Scholar investigating the benefits of dance lessons on children, and am hopeful to use the results of this research for future advocacy efforts. Through my Interdisciplinary Studies Major, I am pursuing an Arts Advocacy track that is composed of classes in Political Science, Public Policy, Sociology, Anthropology, and Research Methodology. In the future, I plan to be an advocate for greater funding and emphasis on Arts Programs in schools. I firmly believe that the Arts are a fundamental contributor to the development of discipline, perseverance, effective communication, among many other factors in a person's work and personal life. I want to ensure that children today do not miss out on opportunities I was granted due to a lack of funding for the Arts. My passion is my purpose!