1. What are the most important things you've learned in your life?
My dad once told me to "stop being so hard on myself". Indeed, growing up, I was one of those type-A personalities, always fretting over every thing I did wrong. High school seems to be a catalyst for many of these students, only propelling them further down the path of always having to get it right. In my first year of college, I learned the necessity of making mistakes - in order to grow from them. In fact, I learned not to be afraid of making mistakes, and I learned to not be afraid in general.
My dad also told me that "every one votes". He was Student Body President his senior year of high school, and from what he told me, he was friends with almost every one. I feel I've carried his sense of inclusivity on into my life. I've learned that every person in my life has value - every acquaintance, every friendship, every relationship.
2. What things did you learn in your life that led you to choose UC and your current major?
After I spent six weeks of my 2012 summer at the Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Program, I knew I wanted to pursue musical theatre as a career. As the college admission process came to a close I found myself with the choice of attending the University of Southern California with a BA in Theatre or the University of Southern California with a BFA in Musical Theatre. The decision was very challenging, but, ultimately, USC's lack of musical theatre curriculum became the deciding factor, and I confirmed at UC. I didn't even get a chance to visit campus, I relied solely on the reputation of CCM - that's how much I wanted to do musical theatre.
3. Do you think going to a private/public school made a difference?
I went to private school from Kindergarten to seventh grade, and I decided I wanted to go to public school from the 8th grade on. Private school gave me the foundation to succeed academically and helped me learn that I could truly put 100% of my commitment into whatever I decided I wanted to do. Public school is where I decided what I wanted to do. Yes, public school made a difference because it's more like the real world - I met people from a greater variety of backgrounds in public school than I did in private school who all contributed to the development of the person I am today. I don't think private school could've given me that.
4. Was the content more important than the teachers who taught you or were the teachers more important than the content?
I know the content should be more important than the teachers, but for me, the teachers were more important than the content. They were the 'way in' to what we were learning. They brought encouragement, motivation, innovation, discipline and creativity to the learning process. They made the learning accessible to me. Even now, in college, the lecture always grabs my attention better than the textbook does.
5. What life lessons were you taught off the curriculum that made the biggest impact on you? - how were you led?
Find joy in the work. I learned this last year from a senior who saw me disheartened, and chose to lift me up and show me how simple and joyful our work as actors can be. In a musical theatre career, criticism is constant and actors pour their heart and soul into the work. Finding success in this field can be as easy as patting yourself on the back for a job well done, and I think that can be applied universally to any profession.
My dad once told me to "stop being so hard on myself". Indeed, growing up, I was one of those type-A personalities, always fretting over every thing I did wrong. High school seems to be a catalyst for many of these students, only propelling them further down the path of always having to get it right. In my first year of college, I learned the necessity of making mistakes - in order to grow from them. In fact, I learned not to be afraid of making mistakes, and I learned to not be afraid in general.
My dad also told me that "every one votes". He was Student Body President his senior year of high school, and from what he told me, he was friends with almost every one. I feel I've carried his sense of inclusivity on into my life. I've learned that every person in my life has value - every acquaintance, every friendship, every relationship.
2. What things did you learn in your life that led you to choose UC and your current major?
After I spent six weeks of my 2012 summer at the Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Program, I knew I wanted to pursue musical theatre as a career. As the college admission process came to a close I found myself with the choice of attending the University of Southern California with a BA in Theatre or the University of Southern California with a BFA in Musical Theatre. The decision was very challenging, but, ultimately, USC's lack of musical theatre curriculum became the deciding factor, and I confirmed at UC. I didn't even get a chance to visit campus, I relied solely on the reputation of CCM - that's how much I wanted to do musical theatre.
3. Do you think going to a private/public school made a difference?
I went to private school from Kindergarten to seventh grade, and I decided I wanted to go to public school from the 8th grade on. Private school gave me the foundation to succeed academically and helped me learn that I could truly put 100% of my commitment into whatever I decided I wanted to do. Public school is where I decided what I wanted to do. Yes, public school made a difference because it's more like the real world - I met people from a greater variety of backgrounds in public school than I did in private school who all contributed to the development of the person I am today. I don't think private school could've given me that.
4. Was the content more important than the teachers who taught you or were the teachers more important than the content?
I know the content should be more important than the teachers, but for me, the teachers were more important than the content. They were the 'way in' to what we were learning. They brought encouragement, motivation, innovation, discipline and creativity to the learning process. They made the learning accessible to me. Even now, in college, the lecture always grabs my attention better than the textbook does.
5. What life lessons were you taught off the curriculum that made the biggest impact on you? - how were you led?
Find joy in the work. I learned this last year from a senior who saw me disheartened, and chose to lift me up and show me how simple and joyful our work as actors can be. In a musical theatre career, criticism is constant and actors pour their heart and soul into the work. Finding success in this field can be as easy as patting yourself on the back for a job well done, and I think that can be applied universally to any profession.