Alumni pursue careers that combine hobbies and studies

When a couple of hopeful Stagg high school graduates go to college to study areas in computer, animation, and business, most would think that they’re bound for success and a normal, stable career. Few would expect that they would end up with completely different jobs.

Lisa Fairchild, florist, Kristen Lowe, costume designer, and Rick Duangsawat, costume designer/box office manager, all decided to pursue happiness by seeking a more unconventional path in their career.

“It doesn’t feel like a job because I love it,” Fairchild said.

Instead of slaving away at a boring office, they have jobs that they fully enjoy and intended to have from the start.

“It went from more like a hobby into an epiphany that’s like ‘that’s what I’m going to do with my life’ situation,” Lowe said.

They took their dreams and hobbies and just hoped for the best, and they were all quite lucky.

“I feel pretty much blessed to be able to have a fun job that also stabilizes me financially,” Duangsawat said.

As children, they all had a sense of what they wanted to do in the future. Lowe had always loved making new things out of basically nothing. Duangsawat had a passion for the arts. He fondly remembers the times when he was part of the theater program at Stagg. Fairchild was enchanted with the idea of working in a floral shop.

“It was more like a dream I hoped that someday I’d get to do,”  Fairchild said.

When it was time for college, Lowe and Duangsawat both made a bee-line for an art school. Lowe went in for costume design and Duangsawat went in for computer animation. “Pixar films were really big back then,” he said with a laugh.

Fairchild, on the other hand, wondered what kind of career she would enjoy. Unsure of her future, she ended up going into college to study business. “I thought that business was general enough to be able to use it in a lot of different fields.”

After college, she worked as an accountant until she decided that she needed a job that involved more creativity and flexibility.

“That’s the good thing about job experience,” Fairchild said. “You may not like it but you also know then what you do like and what you don’t like so you know which other areas to pursue and you get to meet people along the way.” She decided to take a leap of faith by pursuing her dream of being a florist.

Duangsawat was at college, studying to become a computer animator. “I was inspired by Pixar films and I really wanted to do what they were doing.” As time progressed, he got more interested in other classes, especially costume designing.

After graduating, he needed a job, so he applied for part time jobs in places like The Gap. After various odd jobs, he got to work at many theater companies, such as Magic Theater and the Peter Pan musical.

Lowe was successful with her career. “I feel like I have been quite lucky,” Lowe said. “After just a year of graduating I went from being an assistant to being the head costume designer.”
She has worked for a variety of play genres, ranging from political to fairy tales such as Cinderella.

“I’m just so glad that I have a secure job at the moment, especially with unemployment rates. I have friends working at bookstores and Starbucks while I’m working in the theater,” Duangsawat said.

Despite all of their hardships to get to where they are now, all three are grateful to have a job that they enjoy.

“Just pursue your dreams,” Lowe said. “Don’t worry about failing or not. You’ll never know what’ll happen till you try.”