A little off topic from my usual posts, but I thought it would be a good time to discuss my college experience as registration opens up for fall of 2019. Here is my story
I came into college as a technical theatre and design student specializing in costume design. I had been designing and costuming shows at my high school and even for local community theatres for over three years and thought it was my one true passion. While I still love costuming, moving go a new state, school, and department left me feeling incredibly empty. All of a sudden I wasn’t so sure in myself, my abilities, or my major. I didn’t get cast in a play for the first time in nearly two years which was heartbreaking. I wasn’t out on the costume crew, which meant I went from spending 4+ hours a day in the theatre during high school to 4 hours a week if I was lucky.
When you read stories about students transitioning to college, you often only hear the good. The beginning of my first semester, I only felt the bad. I was lost, taking classes I didn’t love, in a space I didn’t feel like I fit in, far away from my home and my friends. Then, I heard about a job opening at the area middle school; assistant director of the drama club. I had taught theatre camps before and loved it, but I was used to working with younger kids so I wasn’t sure if middle school was the place for me, but I applied anyway. Applying for the drama club was the best decision I made all year. Suddenly, everything started to fall into place. I was hired as the director and realized that the love I had for directing stems from a passion for teaching theatre, especially to kids. Just like that, I switched majors and began to feel like this college thing really was for me.
Now I am proudly working with kids 8 hours a week teaching theatre games, helping kids learn their way around backstage and onstage, and co-choreographing a goofy show with 46 middle schoolers. I am taking 16 credit hours, almost all English classes with a couple theatre classes thrown in to keep my creativity flowing. I’d always talked about being a teacher but it never seemed like something I could actually do until now; and since I’ve started, I don’t ever want to stop.