We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Paige Borowski a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Paige, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Ever since I can remember, I have always had a very strong work ethic. I simply love setting goals for myself and working tirelessly until they are accomplished. No matter the goal, big or small, the act of working towards something has always brought a great amount of pleasure, joy, and purpose to my life. In my dance career, I have always been inspired by the physical exhaustion that human beings can push themselves towards in pursuit of personal betterment or artistic research. I now try to recreate or translate this intense way of working into every aspect of my life because I truly believe it to be the recipe to creating the most beautiful journey for yourself. It is definitely not always an easy journey, but most certainly beautiful.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Paige Borowski and I am the Founder and Director of Collegiate Arts Prep, a college consulting agency developed entirely FOR dancers BY dancers. Collegiate Arts Prep (CAP) works with young dancers, grades 7-12, to help establish their goals for collegiate dance as well as train them in preparation for their desired program auditions. We are a team of six consultants, located across the nation, that are individually paired with our students to provide highly personalized experience and mentorship. Our services as consultants include informational sessions that present dancers with information on college dance and helping them figure out what programs are best fits for them, program-specific technique privates to train them for upcoming auditions, and application guidance to assist in creating strong submissions for some of the most competitive summer intensives and college dance programs in the world. CAP also offers access to our in-house writing and grant specialist for applications and our in-house videographer for pre-screen and audition reel creation.
We are currently rounding out our first official audition, application, and acceptance season with some thrilling student accomplishments we could not be prouder of. Come the summer and fall we have students committed to USC, NYU, The Juilliard School, LMU, University of Michigan, Virginia Tech, Chapman University, Pace University, CalPoly SLO, and more. Having the privilege to be a part of this journey for our students and watching their dreams come true before our eyes is our “why” and we could not be more grateful. Our company is also looking forward to many exciting developments and launches that will be announced in the summer! You can stay tuned on our website and social media platforms!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
In my journey, the three qualities or skills that have been the most impactful would be patience, openness, and trust; all three of which are extremely interconnected. I found that our vision of success is almost never the reality of success that comes our way. Things shift, things are delayed, and things surprise you as they come into your path. If you are willing and able to navigate your particular circumstances without frustration, resistance, or giving up, then the possibilities of finding yourself one day surrounded by the most beautiful accomplishments of your unpredicted life become immensely great. There have been many times in my career that I thought I wanted something and either via the process of working towards it or even after having reached it, the goal started to shift before my eyes or completely new opportunities presented themselves. Should I have resisted or ignored these impulses for change that were being placed into my life, I know I would not be where I am today. And where I am today is pretty beautiful, I think.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
I have always been such a reader! I find books to be incredible sources of inspiration for both my life and career. I almost always have a book on me just in the case I have an extra 10 minutes to get a few pages in. They have always brought me so much joy and a really unique sense of personal expansion that can only be found within them. One of my most favorite books is titled “Tiny Beautiful Things” by Cheryl Strayed. It holds so many words that have gotten me through my toughest days and have brought additional joy on my brightest ones. I even used to keep this book in my locker during my time at Juilliard to help keep me rooted, calm, and happy during my often stressful studies there. Here are just a few of the beautiful words that have kept me growing and grounded throughout these many years since I first read them.
1. “That were all just walking and walking and walking and trying to find our way…that all the roads lead eventually to the mountaintop.”
2. “It is impossible for you to go on as you were before, so you must go on as you never have.”
3. “There are so many tiny revolutions in a life, a million ways we have to circle around ourselves to grow and change and be okay.”
4. “Do more than hold on. Reach. Want it more than you have ever wanted everything.”
5. “You will feel insecure and jealous. How much power you give those feelings is entirely up to you.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.collegiateartsprep.com
- Instagram: @collegiateartsprep @paigeborowski
- Facebook: @collegiateartsprep @paigeborowski
Image Credits
Main photo by Cody Green Additional Photos by Matthew Lorenz
