Abigail Kelsen ’11 and her Los Angeles Experience

This Monday, Abigail Kelsen ’11 returned to campus for a brief visit and spent part of her morning inspiring current Foxcroft girls with her story of grit and determination. Abigail currently lives and works in Los Angeles where she has a career in Film Production Management. Her most recent project, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, is currently in theaters. Abigail met with a creative writing class, answered a few questions at Morning Meeting, and spoke about her collaborative work with the story and art departments during a combined studio art class.
Abigail realized mid-way through her college career at William and Mary that film was her passion and that she really wanted to succeed in making it a career. She was refreshingly honest about the hard work and energy she put into making her dream come true. She mentioned her first stepping stone, interning in the Disney College Program. “It was not glamorous, I was literally sweeping donut holes off the floor," she said. "But I reached out to everyone I could, and I feel like Foxcroft gave me the confidence to push forward and be like, I know I can do this, this is what I want.’”

Her determination paid off. She was able to turn that position into an internship with Disney’s Public Affairs and Digital Media Department. Abigail spoke at length about how she was able to combine several skill sets to make a career out of something that didn’t necessarily have a defined pathway or specific degree. She spoke about her past courses in computer science, studio art, and writing — all of which she uses every day to manage projects and communicate with everyone from artists to accountants.

Abigail’s next project, The Croods 2, will be her second project with Dreamworks, and we can’t wait to see what she accomplishes in the future. As Abigail mentioned many times throughout her visit, “My ability to advocate for myself as a woman in the industry and to say ‘I may not have experience in this, but I have the skills and I can do it’ is definitely something Foxcroft taught me — and it’s made so many things possible!”
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An all-girls boarding and day school in Northern Virginia, Foxcroft prepares young women in grades 9-12 for success in college and in life. Our outstanding academic program offers challenging courses, including Advanced Placement classes and an innovative STEM program. Our premiere equestrian program is nationally recognized, and our athletic teams have won conference and state championships. Experience the best in girls' boarding schools: visit Foxcroft.