Catie Heginbotham, a 2014 Belmont graduate, is just a few years out of school and already seems to be living her dream: working for a research marketing firm in Nashville, owning her own art business and blog, along with assisting at weddings part-time.
The first part of her dream actually started to unfold before she ever stepped foot on Belmont’s campus. After performing in her high school choir, the choir director approached her and asked if she might be interested in Disney voice-over work. From there it was a whirlwind; Disney quickly took over Catie’s life and just as quickly it was time to start applying for colleges. It wasn’t until she started at Belmont that Catie fully realized how big a part music played in the university. Although she loved her work at Disney, and would continue be part of recording projects and work as a character/seasonal performer at a Walt Disney World in Orlando, Catie ultimately decided it was time to find a new path all her own.
While at Belmont, Catie also gained experience in the PR field by interning at Tennessee Craft. It was both in her classes and internship involvement that she found a true passion for public relations. When it came down to choosing to perform with Disney Entertainment in Orlando or working in PR/market research in Nashville, Catie realized how passionate she was to build a career in her Nashville home and remain a part of a community Belmont helped create for her.
Art and calligraphy now consume a large part of Catie’s life but this part of her career path really started quite randomly. Catie had just started painting different zoo animals and giving them out to friends as a way to spend free time. About that time during the fall of 2013 there was a “Belmont’s The Not So Farmer’s Market” announced, a student run farmer’s market. Catie’s friends encouraged her to set up a booth and with that Catie Bee Art was born. Catie is still running this small business, taking orders through social media/blog and creating artwork for several award-winning wedding planning companies in Nashville. Belmont’s slogan “from here to anywhere,” is both true and meaningful to Catie, as her art will take her to Napa Valley, CA for a week this spring where she will both design artwork and coordinate a wedding with Music City Events.
Although she has moved on from Disney in a professional sense it will always be a part of her personally. In 2015 Catie and her college sweetheart, Wes, were married at Disney World. They now celebrate every anniversary at a Disney location.
Talking with Catie it was inspiring to me just how passionate she is about every single thing she does. When I asked what piece of advice she would give anyone about to graduate she said this,
“I encourage every student to try everything they’ve been scared to do! The more you put into the universe the more things will happen to you. Don’t worry about whether or not what you want to pursue is exactly what you’re studying in school.”
Catie also emphasized the impact that her professors had on her decision to try so many different things while in school. Even at times when she wanted to chase her Disney dream more than her school degree they never stopped encouraging her.
“Your degree does not have to be black and white and it is professors like Susan Barnes, Thom Storey, Dorren Robinson and Dr. Bonnie Riechart that make all the difference,” says Catie.
Check out Catie’s blog and shop here.
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