What is it that drives a person to leadership—setting out on a path perhaps unforeseen in the formative stages of a career? The stories revealed in this edition of Center Stage are about Juilliard alumni who have chosen, out of passion or sense of purpose (or both), to take on something entirely new in their professional lives. For some, it meant delving into arenas other than those they may have envisioned when they began their professional journeys. For others, it meant broadening the scope and focus of their careers. Why these paths were taken varies from a desire to refashion performing careers to recognizing a need and filling it. All of the alumni of this Center Stage face the daunting challenges of being leaders, telling here why they chose to take the leap and ended up "running the show."

Jamée Ard, Director of National Advancement and Alumni Relations