Student Spotlight: Carly Flake
Carly Flake is a Senior currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration dual major in Accounting and Finance with minors in Dance and English. Carly was born in Anchorage, Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ and is a second-generation UAA student; her dad graduated in the early 1990s.
Carly sat down with us to discuss her thoughts on being a Dance minor while being a double major along with her favorite takeaways from her learning.
What are your favorite aspects of CAS and the UAA Dance and English department?
The strong sense of community. I love meeting people with similar interests and getting to share those experiences with others! The staff and faculty have been some of my biggest supporters during my time at UAA.
In the English Department, Dr. Emily Madsen has been such a wonderful professor. Through her classes, I rediscovered my love of literature and realized how much I enjoy writing research papers. She makes every class engaging through both the course material and in-class discussions.
In the Dance Department, Professor Katie O’Loughlin is absolutely amazing! Her classes are welcoming and fun for dancers of all skill levels. If it weren’t for Katie, I wouldn’t be pursuing my Dance minor. Every day, she encourages me to grow as both a dancer and a choreographer by challenging me while helping me learn to self-advocate. Katie is one of my biggest supporters and one of my favorite things about the dance program at UAA.
How has being a major in Accounting and Finance with the College of Business and Public Policy and a minor in Dance and English with CAS been in balancing your course loads? Do you feel you’re able to pursue your passions while in such different academic areas?
I’ll be honest, it’s definitely challenging balancing a double major with a double minor. My schedule fills up quickly because there are so many classes I want to take! While it can get overwhelming, my English and Dance minors actually make me more productive. These classes act like a creative break; instead of crunching numbers, I get to analyze a Jane Austen novel or learn choreography from Hairspray. They keep me refreshed and inspired; without them, school would feel much more like a chore.
You have been an active participant and leader in UAA's Dance Club. What has been a rewarding aspect of participating in this club and community?
I’ve been part of the Dance Club since it restarted in fall 2024. I began as a member, was elected Vice President, and was quickly promoted to President—a role I’ve held ever since! One of my favorite parts of Dance Club is helping rebuild the dance community at UAA. I love organizing events, supporting other officers, and creating systems to keep everything running smoothly. It’s been especially fun getting to use my accounting background to train our treasurers on good bookkeeping practices—let’s just say I love a good spreadsheet!
It’s been exciting to see the club grow and reconnect with the larger UAA dance community. We’ve had an increase in active members and have welcomed community members and UAA Dance alumni to lead classes. For many of them, it’s a full-circle moment, and it’s so rewarding to be part of that revival.
What is your experience outside of the classroom in Dance? What opportunities have you been a part of in Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ outside of the classroom to showcase your dance background, education, and experience?
I’ve been dancing since I was four years old. I took my first class at Dance Spectrum Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ in 2007, then went on to participate in The Music Machine and The Dance Machine (directed by Janet Carr-Campbell) from 2008 to 2021. From 2019 to 2021, I danced at Anchorage Music and Dance Center (where I have taught since 2021), and I’ve been with UAA Dance since spring 2022. While my main focus is jazz, I’ve also studied ballet, lyrical, contemporary, musical theatre, and hip-hop.
During my fourteen years in The Music Machine and The Dance Machine, I had the opportunity to explore many different dance styles under a variety of teachers (many of whom were UAA Dance alumni). That program is where I truly discovered my passion for the performing arts. Since 2023, I’ve been fortunate to serve as the Dance Machine Director! I love continuing to work with this incredible program and sharing my love of dance and performance with the next generation of young artists.
What would your advice be to a student considering coming to UAA?
One of the best things about UAA is the strong sense of community within each degree program. While the university itself can feel big at times, many of the programs are tight-knit. My advice is that once you find a program you’re passionate about, really dig in and get involved! Getting to know my professors and having them in my corner has been such a valuable part of my experience, and that kind of connection isn’t always possible at larger universities.
Thank you, Carly, for your time, and we wish you a good upcoming school year!