Linda Sears

Every once and awhile, I am fortunate enough to glimpse a rich and textured material shimmering before me. When I look closely at its myriad threads, I realize that my life is a complicated tapestry made up of ideas, passions, and experiences that are constantly weaving together to create the person I am at that very moment. This brief but bracing insight awakens my gratitude for those whose hands have added fibers to the weave, whether they help to make large and bold patterns or delicate and intricate ones. My vision of the tapestry also stimulates my own sense of responsibility for reverencing its glorious complexity as it extends and connects with all of life. I am deeply invested in the study of the humanities because I believe that an appreciation of the role the arts have played throughout history precedes any real understanding of human nature. I have always been a synthetic thinker, studying broadly in the humanities and working to build bridges across disciplines. As an undergraduate at the University of North Texas, I took courses in a program called the Classic Learning Core, which simulates the type of curriculum found in a liberal arts college, and I took Great Books courses. In between my undergraduate and graduate work, I took dance improvisation and dance composition courses at Austin Community College. I then went

back to school to receive my Master of Arts degree from the University of North Texas. There I created an interdisciplinary degree, which included courses in the history and aesthetic appreciation of the visual arts, dramatic art, and dance. My doctoral research in dramatic arts at UC Davis focused on contemporary British dance-theater, a hybrid performance form that challenges political and cultural conservatism. Upon finishing graduate school, I taught at a community college in Santa Ana, California for three years. All of my experiences as a student and a teacher have taught me that learning is a life-long process and that life always has new lessons to teach us if we are willing to open our eyes, ears, and minds to it.