Realization
The theme for my sophomore year was realization.
After different classes and exploration, halfway through my fall semester I officially declared/changed my major: Major in Biology and Double Minor in Theatre and Communication. With this major I hoped to combine my love for biology with my communication skills. This is what I had in mind so far: I know that there is a lot of very important research going on in the scientific community right now. I also know that scientists are not always the best at communicating their important findings with the general public. The goal is to find a constructive way to combine the science and comm skills I am building to work towards some sort of liaison for the scientific community, to help with the research as well as help tell everyone about scientific findings in an engaging way people can understand. On top of the excitement with picking a potential career path, I joined Beta Beta Beta (Tri Beta), the honors biology society! Hopefully this will provide me with great opportunities and support for my future. |
Life in Summit
My sophomore year housing is very different from any living situation I've ever experienced. I live with three of my friends in an apartment in a duplex house in Summit Park. To live in Summit Park, each group has to pair with a community partner and work on a year-long service project. Our community partner is Eden Village, an extension of the Gathering Tree organization. Their purpose is to provide tiny homes for members of the Springfield Community that have been homeless due to a disability. It was gratifying to help build/prepare the tiny houses for the residents. During the spring, after they moved in the rest of their residents, we spent several Thursday evenings at Eden Village making community dinners for the residents and bonding with then. I learned a lot about life from the people that I met there, and it was incredibly eye-opening to hear their stories.
The link to our Summit Blog is here: https://aekmsummit.weebly.com/
The link to our Summit Blog is here: https://aekmsummit.weebly.com/
Theatre
During my fall semester, I was blessed with the opportunity to participate assistant set design the play Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness and be in the musical Godspell. In Godspell, I was a part of the ensemble and also played a lot of Joanne's role (the ensemble was a little bigger so we all shared the parts but everyone was given lines and a feature in a song). It was the best production I have ever been a part of! We rehearsed nonstop for three months and did nine shows in mid November.
In the spring, I played Barbara Stratton in the straight play Farce of Habit, an incredibly funny show and a great experience. After that play was finished, I assistant stage managed for the Medieval Farces. This was quite stressful, but I am glad that I have stage management experience under my belt now.
I was also a member of Broadway Cabaret this year which is very exciting for me because I love to sing. I am honored to be singing a solor in the show and our large ensemble numbers are so much fun as well. This year our BCab cast is double the size of last year's, and we have bonded like a big family! Next year, we hope to travel with our Broadway Cabaret show to expand the Drury Theatre Program and Drury's reach.
In the spring, I was also inducted into Alpha Psi Omega, the honors theatre society. We plan all of the events that the Drury Theatre Department puts on, and I really enjoy helping with that.
In the spring, I played Barbara Stratton in the straight play Farce of Habit, an incredibly funny show and a great experience. After that play was finished, I assistant stage managed for the Medieval Farces. This was quite stressful, but I am glad that I have stage management experience under my belt now.
I was also a member of Broadway Cabaret this year which is very exciting for me because I love to sing. I am honored to be singing a solor in the show and our large ensemble numbers are so much fun as well. This year our BCab cast is double the size of last year's, and we have bonded like a big family! Next year, we hope to travel with our Broadway Cabaret show to expand the Drury Theatre Program and Drury's reach.
In the spring, I was also inducted into Alpha Psi Omega, the honors theatre society. We plan all of the events that the Drury Theatre Department puts on, and I really enjoy helping with that.
DUkes
I have been a very active member of the Drury Ukulele Club this year. I am the vice president of the DUkes and do my best to play a solo at almost all of our weekly meetings. It is another fun way for me to express myself through music and singing, and my ukulele skills have improved significantly which I am very excited about. In the spring, the DUkes traveled to Memphis, Tennessee for the trip of a lifetime! We saw Sun Studios, the Memphis Zoo, the Bass Pro Pyramid, and best of all the Civil Rights Museum. It was also a lot of fun to meet the Memphis Ukulele Club and to feel so welcomed by then. I cannot wait for what next year's DUkes group will be like!