Hirsch said she learned a lot about keeping the arts alive while she was in Louisiana. She said Hurricane Katrina decimated NOBA and administrators faced truly challenging circumstances.
"Every site we had was flooded," she said. "It was a fight for survival."
And to add to the turmoil, Hirsch was on maternity leave with her son Zachary during that time. She said her boss at NOBA called her and said, "I need a plan."
So Hirsch ended up taking Zachary in to work with her while she helped with rebuilding the association.
While she loved being at NOBA because of her background in dance - she said her father used to drive her almost 30 minutes one way for lessons when she was a child in Neshoba County - she said the opportunity at MSA was one she couldn't pass up. So she and Zachary and her husband Darrin made the move north.
"I'm very excited about Brookhaven," she said. "It's not as hectic, and I'll be able to be with my family more."
Hirsch follows in the footsteps of Dr. Vicki Lambert. She is often credited with getting the school through its formative years and fighting with the woes of opening a school, as well as a legislature that begrudgingly allowed its existence and then tried to move it to Columbus.
"I know that I'm coming into a legacy here. Dr. Lambert gave her heart and soul to this," she said. "While I can't fill those shoes, I think I can put my stamp on it.
It's not just about keeping the school running, Hirsch said, but the challenge lies in taking it to the next level.
"This is a great opportunity, because I'm inheriting an amazing faculty, and I'm excited not to have to rebuild that," she said. "But I'm also looking at, 'How do we take this secret and make it known nationally?'"
Hirsch said one way she wants to see the school move forward is to bring in more guest artists, and to create many opportunities for the students on a limited budget.
"Plus, I want to educate the state, all those who don't understand about the arts and what the value of the arts is," she said. "I want to get us to a place where they hear 'MSA' and they know exactly where that is."
The state's rich arts environment is not only the cornerstone of the school, but will continue to supply the building blocks that will put MSA and Brookhaven on the map, Hirsch said.
"We need to build bridges here," she said. "People don't realize how rich the arts environment is here, and as long as I have the buy-in from my faculty and from the community, we can take this school to a higher level, and we can take this image and educate the state with it."
And as far as the hurdles the school has overcome and will undoubtedly face in the future, Hirsch said she's seen the storm - literally - and MSA will stand against the winds.
"This place will be a very special place in the state," she said. "My message is not only will MSA stay here, we will show you why we should be here."
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