Helene Schwartz ’05

After seeing a fellow dancer from her hometown studio join MMC’s prestigious dance program, Helene Schwartz ’05 knew New York was where she wanted to be for college as well—and, indeed, she was accepted into the program at MMC a few years later, ultimately majoring in Dance and minoring in Musical Theatre.  “The best time to live in Manhattan is as a 20-something. In my opinion, it’s a better version of studying abroad. There’s nothing else like it! It gives you the life skills and street smarts that will set you apart from other people you’ll meet in life.”

Schwartz took full advantage of the unique opportunities that Marymount Manhattan—a small college in the heart of a big city—provides access to, including proximity to top employers in the city. “One unexpected opportunity that arose from the dance department was an internship at Pointe Magazine,” she remembers. “It was the perfect merger of my writing and dancing passions!”

After graduation, Schwartz worked as a dancer on Radisson Cruise Lines for PGT Entertainment where she was in the cast and traveled all around South America. Since then, she has left the professional dance world and pursued other interests: She founded I Do Wedding Dances in Los Angeles, teaching couples first dances for their wedding receptions, and now works as a Speech Pathologist.

“I never planned on becoming a speech therapist, but it turns out MMC had a strong speech major right under my nose,” she reflects. Her unique combination of interests and expertise were recently highlighted in Dance Magazine, in an article she published intertwining dance, movement, and motor planning deficits. Check out the article here.