Creative career paths are seldom direct and predictable, but thanks to thorough preparation, Washington College alumni thrive. Whether focused on writing or the arts, students not only hone their creative talents at the College, but also gain the industry skills and knowledge they need to find meaningful careers doing what they love.

Andrew Wink graduated in 2017 with a double major in music and theatre, writing a musical for his senior capstone experience. During his time at the College, Wink did sound and lighting design for more than a dozen shows on campus, worked in the lighting and audio shop coordinating equipment for student productions, and performed in musical ensembles and theatrical productions.

“It was really cool being the producer and the playwright and bringing everything to life. It was stressful and crazy, but it was real. That thesis has been really helpful for me,” Wink said. “It's really cool to say, I've written a musical, and I put on productions. Going to work professionally after I graduated, I was doing a lot of event production and project management, so having that experience here proved invaluable.”

In the eight years since he graduated, Wink has been busy. He has played in about a half dozen bands, taught guitar, worked in corporate audiovisual (AV) support, done freelance lighting design, and managed a studio. In the fall of 2025, he began a new job at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where he works on stage coordination for performances at the Conservatory.

“I look at this as the best of both worlds. This job ties very closely to the corporate AV setup. That experience helped make it a smooth transition,” Wink said. “As for the music instruction, Peabody has the Preparatory, which is more community outreach, and I talked with the interim director about potentially teaching guitar. That and the production stuff is fun, and I'm good at it.”

Last summer, Wink was back on campus showcasing his music production skills at the Washington College Open Studio with his band at the time, Grimm Winter.

While most of his bandmates were in the studio playing their instruments, Wink was busy in the control room, helping two interns and music professor Ken Schweitzer get the mix just right before recording began, talking to his bandmates over their monitors, asking Stevie Lyles ’26 to tweak settings, and having the musicians play again, over and over, trying to ensure everyone could hear what they needed to hear and the recording would be perfect.

“That’s the thing about production,” Wink said, “making sure the sound is perfect for the recording.”

With access to the studio and support from Schweitzer, Lyles, and fellow student recording engineer Mariana Kilmon ’28 for a couple of days, Wink and Grimm Winter could take the time to ensure they got the sound they wanted. Wink said it was a welcome change from the experience at a typical studio that charges by the hour. By the time they left, Grimm Winter had a new four-track EP, “The Chestertown Sessions,” which they released in July.

“Before arriving, Andrew designed a thoughtful and efficient recording plan,” Schweitzer said. “He shared copious notes about each piece they intended to record and pre-recorded several reference tracks to guide the whole process. Drawing upon his own studio expertise, he mentored the student recording interns through the whole process, including set-up, recording, and post-production mixing.

“Connecting an alumnus with our current students was a rewarding experience, and one that clearly inspired both interns. Andrew has grown over the years since he graduated. While I was surely expecting to see that his musical creativity and talent would have evolved, I was pleasantly surprised to see what a strong mentor and teacher he had become. I hope he continues to pursue a music career as both an artist and an educator.” 

When Wink was learning music production at Washington while a student, the program was just starting, and the equipment was stored on a mobile cart. Like music production at the College, Wink hasn’t stopped growing. In 2025, he completed a Master of Arts in music business from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and launched a podcast, Strums to Stage, to share his journey and offer instruction to aspiring guitarists.

“I want to at least be a beacon for others,” Wink said. “This can be done. It may be scary, but think if you live the exact same way 10 years from now, what scares you more?” 

—Mark Jolly-Van Bodegraven