Ellen Farrow of Jackson, Mo., enjoys the best of both worlds. As the River Campus Box Office manager, she experiences the consistency of accounting but also the ever-changing pace of theatre.
Ellen began working at Southeast in April 2001 for the Alumni Association. After a year, she moved to Student Financial Services. When the River Campus opened in 2007, she settled in as its Box Office manager where she is head of ticket sales for the venues’ events, student training and supervision, revenue deposits and loads of paperwork. She also assists in the coordination of River Campus events. She said she chose her career because it allows her to work closely with people, and being able to help others and make them smile gives her great satisfaction.
Being able to dip her hands into so many different aspects of the theatre business is what Ellen loves.
“I am blessed I have a truly enjoyable job. I love the craziness surrounding the shows and the escape from monotony, but I also get to utilize my accounting and management skills on a daily basis,” she said. “I get to do what I love for a living.”
She said her favorite moment while working at the River Campus was the campus’ debut show, “Big River.”
“I had just begun working here, and I had never seen something so amazing as the community support of the crowd that turned out that night. It blew me away,” she said.
The crowd at the opening show may be almost as impressive as Ellen’s work ethic.
“It is our duty as adults to set an appropriate example for our students and to show them hard work and determination will pay off. I feel very strongly about doing the best I can to improve my department and Southeast in general,” Ellen said.
Ellen sets her example for students by doing her best to follow the golden rule of doing unto others as she would like them to do unto her and remaining positive.
Ellen tells the students she works with and other students to “never give up hope of finding your niche in the world. It’s out there waiting for you to find it.”
Although she loves her job, Ellen says nothing beats spending time with her husband, her daughter and their dog.
“They are my world,” she said.