Tag: tag2

The first lesson in college is often about socializing with people. I struggled with social anxiety and usually found it difficult to present myself through clubs, dining halls, or classroom interactions. But my experience in theater during high school had prepared me to navigate these challenges smoothly. Stepping into a new community at Wesleyan felt like starting a new show entirely —a stage I had never performed on before, but one where I could apply what I had learned.

In high school, I dedicated myself to the arts both in and out of school. I participated in a play, and I even sang. I was dedicated and respected the people who loved the arts. Still, when I came to the school, I had no intention of pursuing theater; I needed familiarity to open myself. I was, of course, hesitant about Wesleyan’s much bigger theater program, but I had taken a leap of Faith.

Two courses at Wesleyan shaped my confidence and voice. An introductory theater course, it taught about the works that shape the performing arts today, as well as the conversations that critique them to be better. It became A significant shift in perspective from what was presented to me in high school. The second course propelled me to speak up and contribute to the details of my person. This late-night, three-hour weekly theater class had only one other student enrolled, creating a space where I could actively participate.   I worked with formerly incarcerated individuals who would come to the class, share their stories about their experiences in the U.S. justice system, and I had to speak and ask them riveting questions because their stories carried a great deal of weight. I talk so much, and in there, I found myself giving more to them and to the people around me. In the end, I had a chance to perform the monologue of an individual whose story has shaped me and the way I speak up to others.

Now, you can find me as the financial manager for SHADES, the theater collective for students of color on campus. I have managed to work as an assistant director for a small play titled “All about Adeaze.” I worked in the spring of 2025 as a coordinator in collaboration with Spike’s stage for the cabaret, and I  again worked in the fall of 2025 to put on a great cabaret show.

Shades is not as big on campus, which is why it’s perfect for me, and so are all the theater ventures I have participated in. I don’t have to worry about big productions; it still allows me to actively contribute, meet a tiny subset of individuals in the arts, and, more importantly, build myself socially.  through the friends I have and the interactions I have had to make from my awkward self.  All because I allow familiarity to become the means through which I navigate my then-new social life.

It was through the class titled “Rap, Theater, and Social Justice” that I began to truly open myself. Rap, Theater, and Social Justice was a three-hour class with only one other student. Because of the small numbers and length of the class, I was required to step out of my comfort zone and participate every day. I had no excuse to say the class had too many students, so my anxiety would not allow me to speak. 

Each week, we had people who were incarcerated come speak to us and share their experiences.  rearrange their words and recite them as verbatim pieces. The individuals speaking were great because they always had stories to tell about their lives and their battles with the U.S justice system, but it was up to my other classmates to come up with creative questions, good follow-up questions, and maximize the amount of information that they were giving to us. In one class, my classmate was sick, and I had to lead the conversation by myself for an extended period of time.

I am pretty sure that was the most I had spoken in class in years. Although I am talkative by nature, it never translated into my academic or social endeavors, as I present myself as a shy, closed-off individual. However, if you were to ask my close friends and family, they would say I’m known as the parrot because I don’t stop talking. At the end of the course, I had a final performance, where I presented one of the visitors’ stories. needed to be projective, evocative, and interpret the emotions of the visitor to my audience. 

This class forced me to speak more than I wanted to or ever intended to in any of my classes, but because of this, it allowed me to be more confident in speaking and projecting my voice in my other classes and different social spaces.