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In 20 words or less, what is the best thing about being part of this department?
Working alongside people who are more experienced but still as excited as I am to do theatre every day.

What is your biggest piece of advice to first years and sophomores about getting connected to this department?
Whenever you feel scared or unsure about trying something new with K Theatre department, ask yourself “If not now, when. If not here, where?” and just try it out. Just try before you pull yourself back. K theatre productions are actually very beginner friendly and your peers will guide you. If theatre is what you love, these experiences will take you to different creative places. And even if this particular theatre department is not for you, USE (please use, please…) our theatre department resources to connect with other local community theatres whose work might be more in align with your life-long values.

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned at K?
I have learned in the past three years that if I engage with honesty and intentions even with the smallest things every day, I would be creating circumstances for meaningful opportunities to arise on its own in the long run. I have learned that I am definitely a person who thrives when they trust their emotions and intuitions to build intimate relationships in life.

What has been your favorite class at K?
I recently took Dr. Pillai’s Hindu Traditions as my first religion class. I grew up as a Buddhist in Myanmar but I have always separated myself from the term “religion” because I have only seen the violence that people could do in the name of it. However, Dr. Pillai’s class reframed my looks on religion by shifting my focus to complex traditions rather than a monolithic view of it, the one that usually dictates popular media. Overall, it was just a great class. The class materials were diverse and the syllabus is very accessible for those new to Hindu Traditions in India and in diasporic communities. This class really made me want to reconnect with my Buddhist roots. I really cherish this desire to resist forgetting language, life, and history of traditions in my life and in my country that I have taken for granted for such a long time.

How have you taken advantage of the open curriculum or experienced breadth in your education?
I took intro classes in Sociology, Psychology, Gender Studies in my first year so I was able to take interdisciplinary classes that has intro classes as requirements in my other years. I got to engage with both my creative and analytical side when I took Society in Film class and my seminar classes.

What experiential education opportunities have you participated in?
I have participated as an assistant stage manager and actor in Festival Playhouse productions at K. Being able to see the whole production process taught me more about producing and creating a play than my theatre classes do. I have and still work with Face Off Theatre Company (FOTC) as a stage manager on their shows in Kalamazoo as well. I love love love working with FOTC because I get to see the talent pool in Kalamazoo. I get to experience stories that are made by and for the people in the community. I get to build intimate yet professional relationships with people who are grateful to create art in their lives. I just think it is awesome that FOTC offers pay-what-you-wish tickets for the audience. Many creative spaces started out in queer communities and marginalized communities but these spaces have also come to be co-opted into commercial businesses and gate-kept from these communities. Working with FOTC makes me hopeful about creating accessible art for the people.

What is a random fun fact about you?
I have tattoos of my own drawings. If you ask me, I have a story to share 😉