Today we’d like to introduce you to Nurit Smith.
Nurit, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Israeli born and Los Angeles raised. After graduating from UC Berkeley, I worked as a theater and dance practitioner before veering headfirst into the social sector. A Los Angeles professional journey from Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation in Miracle Mile to Grand Performances in DTLA and, now, at Music Forward in Hollywood. I passionately work at the intersection of performance, education and philanthropy. And I still do a little theater on the side.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This may sound trite but if there weren’t any struggles, I don’t think I would have experienced and grown as much as I have. I don’t have a road paved out; I don’t think many of us do anymore. With that in mind, I try to stay open to what the path will bring, the beautiful and the ugly. Not to sound trite again, but I do believe life is all about the journey and sometimes you just need to walk to know where you are going.
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Today’s youth face a nationwide crisis when it comes to education and employment. 30% of high-school graduates don’t go directly to college and 1.2 million young people are disconnected, meaning they are not currently enrolled in school or working and as a result, face a variety of challenges. Music Forward assists in addressing these by helping youth turn their passion for music into professions, both on and off-stage.
Through scholarships, mentoring, panels and workshops, Music Forward provides both educational and experiential programs to support young people (12-22) from all backgrounds interested in music industry careers. Music Forward is also dedicated to making the music industry more accessible, diverse and equitable. We target outreach to ensure youth from under-resourced communities and under-represented voices in the industry have information and access to our services to provide them with the resources and opportunities they need to become music industry leaders, influencers, and innovators of tomorrow!
Contact Info:
- Website: hobmusicforward.org
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