When I began applying to college, I was fortunate enough to have someone I worked with that helped me prepare for my auditions. When I met his other students, I was blown away. I could not believe that there were other people that were just as passionate about the performing arts as I was. I could not wait to go to school and get to spend every day growing as a performer and a student alongside other people that found just as much joy in that as I did. Being in college now, I can say that that is still what excites me the most about being there. I have peers that can have passionate and thoughtful discussions with me about music, plays, a random paper we had to write, and then some. I love the community that college has provided me and that community is a huge part of my being able to maintain a healthy mind, body, and soul while dealing with the struggles of being a student. Having a busy schedule can keep you from being able to prioritize yourself, as any student would be able to tell you. However, being surrounded by people that are experiencing the same struggles as you can be so helpful. Amidst the chaos of school, I try to make sure I am always eating at least two meals a day with protein included. It is so much easier to push yourself to make the walk to the dining hall, when you know there will be a friend waiting for you. Because I have a major that is heavily physical, I am active most days of the week, so I do not have to try too hard to work that into my schedule, but I still try to be cognisant of it. I focus much more heavily on maintaining a healthy mind than a healthy body. Mental health is something that I have always struggled with. Especially with a busy schedule, I try to make sure I find at least 30 minutes a day that I can do something for me, whether that is watching an episode of a show or taking a longer shower because I need the time to decompress. I find that if I cannot find time to prioritize myself for even a little, I become overwhelmed, which leads to struggling to maintain a healthy body. However, when I am able to implement moments for myself, I find that I am able to put more energy into maintaining a healthy body and cultivating meaningful relationships with my friends, which makes for a healthy soul. Although college can be a challenging time of life, I believe that if you are able to find a balance that leads to a healthy mind, body, and soul during those four years, you will be able to push yourself to continue doing so long past your years as a student.

Since I was young, I have always been a very busy person. I did everything as a child. I was on a baseball team, in the band, and even a competitive gymnast. I would get picked up from one rehearsal and immediately go to the next. This never left much time for meals. We would go to a drive-through or have a microwaved mac and cheese cup at the ready. I never really thought much about it and my very active lifestyle and quick metabolism combatted it for the most part. That has changed as I have become a young adult. As a student pursuing a theatre degree, I have been told over and over again that my body is my instrument. Just like if a violinist has an out-of-tune violin, if my body is out of tune, I will not be able to accomplish what I need to. It took me a bit to realize that keeping my body ready to perform starts with what I consume. It can be difficult to control what you eat as a college student, especially if you are at the will of your dining hall. However, I do not think that healthy eating habits are only what you eat. For a long time, I did not eat at consistent times or even a consistent amount. There would be days when I would only eat one meal and there would be days when I would eat way more than my body needed or wanted. First and foremost, I believe it is important to make sure you are consistently eating at least two meals a day if not three. Once I began making sure I ate lunch and dinner every day, no matter my schedule, I noticed I had more energy. I experienced fewer headaches and grogginess. Then I began examining what food I was eating and made a lot of realizations. This summer, I am living away from home for an internship and am responsible for preparing my own meals. I have been able to make sure that I am buying and making foods that have enough protein and healthy carbs. For the first time ever, I look at nutrition labels before purchasing food. I recognize that I was consuming too much fat and eating foods with empty calories when I was not even hungry. I have switched to snacking on foods like whole grain crackers and hummus instead of chocolates or Cheez-Its. I have noticed that I have more energy to do things I enjoy, like going out with friends or even exercising, which has had a huge benefit on both my physical and mental health. I find that I am more focused throughout the day. I feel less bloated after eating and overall am healing my relationship with my body. As the start of the school year comes closer, I am excited to see how putting more effort into healthy eating habits throughout the school year will help me become a better student and artist.

I have always considered myself a relatively healthy person. I was a very active child, having played baseball and basketball, and done competitive gymnastics for years. As I began becoming more committed to theatre, I stopped spending as much time on exercise. Soon, my focus shifted to school and making sure I had time for rehearsals and homework. I never really thought much about my health until I was forced to. Freshman year of college, as I sat in my Intro to Theatre class, I began experiencing what could only be explained as the worst stomach cramps of my life. I thought maybe I had appendicitis or my ovaries were going to explode. After a trip to the hospital in this new strange place away from home, I was told I had a kidney stone. Sounds a bit dramatic for a kidney stone, right? But I was horrified. Not even a year later, I was back in the emergency room with the same crippling stomach pain. This time, I was informed that the kidney stone was trapped between my kidney and my bladder and that the only way to remove it would be with surgery. Following my surgery, I realized something needed to change. I had constant headaches and was always dehydrated. I never had any energy and struggled to keep up in dance classes. It was a wake-up call for me. Over the last year, I have been making a conscious effort to drink more water. Especially dealing with kidney stones, I have to try to be more hydrated. This summer, I am living away from home for the first time, which has given me the opportunity to have more control over what I eat. I am taking the time to cook my own meals that I know have protein and healthy carbs and it has had a huge impact on the energy I have every day. I also am lucky enough to have access to a fitness center that is close to my office. I have tried this summer to start a fitness routine that I can maintain throughout the school year. I try to go to the gym 3-4 days a week. I have noticed myself becoming stronger thanks to the exercise and my eating foods that will actually fuel my body. A year ago, I would not have even imagined that I would have the willpower to fight through the anxiety of going to a gym or to find the energy to make dinner instead of eating a microwavable meal. Today, it is all still new to me but I am proud of myself for making changes and fighting to feel healthier and stronger.

When I committed to college, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted in life. I fell in love with the theatre and knew I loved performing. While in high school, I did everything attached to theatre that I could: I painted sets, I ran spotlights, I did choreography, and then some. But for some reason, I never thought about pursuing anything other than performing. I had this dream of big marquees and Broadway stages and I still have that dream, but now it is a bit different. I began my freshman year at Nazareth College, so excited to sing, act, and dance every day for the rest of my life. Soon, though, I was able to find a work-study position within our Arts Center Operations team where I worked as a Student House Manager and Box Office Staff and I quickly found that I enjoyed being on the administrative side of theatre. It gave me a new appreciation for the people that make it possible for those actors to be on stage. Although scary, I made the decision to transfer to Seton Hill University, where I could not only perform, but also explore my interest in theatre business. While there, I have been working as an electrician and have found that I also have an interest in lighting and electrics within theatre. This summer, I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to work as a Box Office Apprentice at The Glimmerglass Festival. While my work-study positions have been an incredible learning experience and a great way to start to explore the other facets of theatre, this apprenticeship has been even more enlightening as an entrance into the professional world of theatre and even opera. I would love to continue to explore house management and box office operations while in school, as well as maybe artistic direction and non-profit management. Especially working at Glimmerglass has solidified that the people behind the scenes are just as important as the actors. While I do not want to give up performing, I have realized that what I really want is to just be a part of making theatre happen. No matter what I decide to do post-graduation, the Grafitti Arts Scholarship would make a huge difference in my ability to achieve my post-graduation goals. The one thing that I am certain about when it comes to my future is that I want to be involved in the arts. Often, many entry-level arts positions, whether that be performing or administrative, do not pay super well. Being gifted a scholarship like this one would allow me to accept opportunities that would fulfill me artistically, but perhaps not financially, and gain experience that would help me to find opportunities that could fulfill me both artistically and financially. It would allow me to truly put my all into meeting my educational goals and being the best student and artist possible.

When people think of actors, their minds tend to go to fame and fortune. Big lights, big cities, and large crowds are the dreams of most actors. They long for the touring house or the Broadway stage. What people do not think about when they see an actor is the absurd schedule that is necessary to do what they do. Most actors, especially when starting out, will work twelve hour days, sometimes six days a week. On top of that, they are expected to eat healthy, regularly go to the gym, and have time to memorize and rehearse material outside of the rehearsal room. I knew all of this when I decided that I wanted to go to school for musical theatre. However, that all only got more challenging when I decided to add a second major to my plate. Getting an education in theatre, there are not only classes that you must attend, but also nightly rehearsals or shows. On top of that, I also have a work-study job to factor in to my schedule. I love what I do and I would not change it, but maintaining my personal wellness is an incredibly important part of being able to do what I love. My professors constantly remind us that our bodies are our instruments, and they cannot work without fuel. One thing I try to make sure I always do is eat three meals a day. I have never been a morning person, so I struggle the most with breakfast. I try to make sure that I have something simple and quick like oatmeal on standby or that I have fruit in the fridge that I can take in a container on the way to class. Another big part of fueling your body is drinking enough water. I am still attempting to increase my water intake, but I always make sure I have a water bottle with me and have an app that sends me hourly reminders to drink more water. You cannot focus only on physical health though. As someone who has always struggled with mental health issues, I am a very big advocate for self care and mental health days. I try to take at least one hour every day to do something that brings me joy and is not connected to school. Sometimes that is watching a youtube video before bed. Sometimes that is doing a face mask that I have been looking forward to using. Some days it is something as simple as taking a shower that is a little longer than usual. As long as there is a moment that I have time to simply exist and feel joy as a human. Taking time to manage my personal wellness while attending college allows me to put my all into my academics without becoming burnt out. It also helps me to experience college while focusing on the joyous things that I do. Sure, college is stressful and hard, I will not deny that. But managing my personal wellness helps me to overcome the struggles of pursuing a college education.