GiveBIG SUPERSTAR Erica Hudson-Gomez
As GiveBIG 2018 draws nigh, we’re so excited to highlight a very special GiveBIG SUPERSTAR: Erica Hudson-Gomez!
What’s a TeenTix GiveBIG SUPERSTAR? A SUPERSTAR is a devoted TeenTix supporter. We often suspect that these humans have actual superpowers. Erica is no exception, having served on TeenTix’s Advisory Council since 2016, helping TeenTix do important work for Teens Count!
Not only that, but this year Erica has SUPER generously offered to match the first $500 in gifts that teens and TeenTix alumni make on GiveBIG on top of our 1:1 match. This means your $5 could become $15! $10 becomes $30! Thank you, Erica!
“I started attending the Seattle Symphony when I was 22. I had just moved to Seattle and affordable tickets were especially of interest to me because I was paying off student loans. Access to art that I could afford was grounding for me, as someone who didn’t know anyone in the city.”
But Erica was quick to notice that audiences in Seattle did not well represent the whole community. “I would be the only woman of color in the room despite the fact that the kind of cultural fluency the arts bring is really important for people of color.” She wrote a blog post when she learned about (and was blown away by) the efforts the Symphony was making to bring music education to neighborhood schools that largely serve youth of color. TeenTix’s former Executive Director, Holly Arsenault, came across that blog post, asked to meet Erica, and the rest is history.
“I didn’t know there were organizations like TeenTix making a concerted effort to bring diverse young people to the arts. I thought that was the most amazing thing.”
You can now regularly spot Erica at Seattle Opera, the 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Symphony (of course) and in small art galleries around town. You might imagine that Erica’s art nerd-i-ness stems from a childhood spent painting or playing the piano, but instead she grew up making video games! We think this probably prepared her well for her awesome job as a Software Development Manager at Amazon.com, where she leads the SNAP EBT program (this allows folks using food stamps to access nutritious food deliveries). The great thing about art attendance, Erica says, is “you don’t have to be an art expert or a creative to be involved.” We couldn’t agree more.
Thank you, Erica, for supporting us, in all the ways, but specifically through GiveBIG! You’re our arts access hero!
