Paula Garofalo

Hello! I am Paula Garofalo, the Arts Recruitment Coordinator here at Winthrop University. Originally from the Washington D.C. area, I have lived in the Charlotte, NC area for many years. After graduating with my B.A. in Theatre, I attended Ohio University where I earned an M.F.A. in Costume Design and interned with William Ivey Long's Broadway Studio.  My design work has been seen in NYC at the Connelly Theatre & Teatro LETEA, The Cincinnati Playhouse, Monomoy Theatre and many others.

I returned to education with teaching at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as a Visiting Lecturer in Costume Design.  During this time I was also a freelance guest artist at Central Piedmont Community College, Children's Theatre of Charlotte and Theatre Charlotte. My next position was a costume shop manager of Children's Theatre of Charlotte, where I managed productions, collaborated on curriculum and developed special projects with the CTC's Department of Education and Imaginon Library.

Pursuing a career in the arts is a lifestyle and I am here to guide you through the transition ahead.  Being an art student is intellectually challenging, rewarding and over all wonderful.  I've had fantastic opportunities but wish that I had received admissions counseling sooner in my academic career.  My advice to incoming freshmen is to build strong relationships with Winthrop's faculty.  Take advantage of the small class sizes, department jobs, professional internships, opportunities to create your own work, and assist faculty with their research.  Faculty mentorship is invaluable and will serve you well past your time here at Winthrop.  These relationships help connect you to future opportunities and provide a friendly ear to help you achieve goals in your career.

Please contact me to talk more about becoming an arts student at garofalopl@winthrop.edu.