Field Work Term Spotlight: Coco Rohde
Coco Rohde '26 reflected on her Field Work Term experience at Brooklyn Children’s Theatre.
At Bennington, students spend six weeks every year taking their skills and knowledge out of the classroom and applying them in the world of work. They use this annual work-learning opportunity—known as Field Work Term—to deepen their studies, challenge and test new ideas, and hone their direction for the future.
Wrote Rohde:
"This past Field Work Term, I worked over January and February with Brooklyn Children’s Theatre (BCT). As a neurodivergent individual with a mostly volunteer background, it can be hard to find a job that "clicks," but I found it with BCT.
General Manager Nick Robertson and Founder/Executive Director Amy White Graves are the administrators of BCT, whose mission is to help underprivileged kids experience theatre they never could before. When I worked with them, they were flexible and supportive; we immediately clicked, and I became someone everyone was familiar with/knew fairly quickly. I’m sure they would steal me back if I let them!
I helped with pretty much everything, including devising a script the kids had written, prop making, website rebuilding, newsletter, set work, scratch tracks and music, kid wrangling, fundraising, and administrative support. Despite this being such a short time, I never felt bogged down by any of it!
They helped me solidify my Plan topic into Theatre (top line) Public Action/Visual Arts (bottom line), as well. I found that I quite enjoy the philanthropic side of things, as well as the theatre side. Before this, my Plan was very much unsolidified but with a heavier lean towards Creative Writing.
I am grateful to them and would love to go back at some point if at all possible. My experience has been positive, and we clicked almost immediately upon the interview."