To me, my majors in Acting and Psychology are both necessary pieces of the puzzle that is my future career. I am choosing to pursue both of these fields because I have a strong passion for each of them, but also because of how well they are connected. My hope is that the skills I learn in my education of each of these fields will aid me in a combined purpose as I pursue them professionally. I see psychology everywhere in Acting. To portray a whole person and their story in a truthful way on stage requires a deep understanding of emotions, human relationships, and the effect our memories have on us. This understanding can be achieved through psychology. When first cast as a character actors have to dive into the characters motives, perspectives, wounds and more to give an authentic performance of who this character is and what their role is within the world of the play. Without any understanding of one's own emotions, motives, relationships, perspectives etc. the expectation of playing a character truthfully is unrealistic. When I performed in my first college production this past spring, Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, I learned so much about how my two degrees are connected. I was prompted to think about the emotional weight of events happening on stage, even if they weren't directly happening to my character. I was prompted to think about my responses, reactions, and internal emotions that occurred both on and off stage and the way that impacted my performance throughout the story. I was prompted to think about societal norms within the play and what was considered outlandish compared to what was considered acceptable. All of these deep psychological intricacies are a crucial part of a truthful performance. Each individual actor must know their own character's identity and their place in the larger story. The skills to decipher these intricacies come from our ability to understand these concepts within our own lives. Psychology is a backbone of theatre. Having emotional perceptiveness and critical thinking for these topics is what allows actors to become engrossed with the worlds they must live inside of for the stage. Pursuing both majors simultaneously has helped me succeed in each one at a much higher rate. Psychology teaches me highly necessary and applicable skills for theatre, and theatre allows me to practice these skills and perfect them more effectively. This concept can be seen across the board with liberal arts fields. Theatre is the closest thing to the real world while still being an artistic escape. Therefore, understanding psychology, sociology, history, English, politics, etc. on a meaningful level means understanding characters and plays more deeply. These liberal arts fields give actors and theatre practitioners the skills and context to create authentic art that is valuable to show audiences. An understanding of liberal arts is the second puzzle piece to a successful theatre career.

I was always the person who could immediately tell when something was wrong. I'd walk into a room and read others emotions instantly. I always expressed a desire to understand what their experiences were, and how I could offer support or make a difference. This skill was what lead me to pursuing a career in psychology. An experience I had in my junior year of high school made me realize this skill that I had. I remember walking into school and there was an obvious gloom hanging over all of my teachers, that went on for a while. When I inquired from my creative writing teacher about the cause of this, he expressed me to that our school district was allowing teachers to work under an expired contract by not being proactive in renewing and negotiating it on time. My teachers were not being protected, but by law could not stand up for themselves in a strike and had to keep coming to work. I decided that I wanted to stand up for my teachers. I drafted a speech to speak at the next school board meeting, and had it proofread by a couple of my teachers who were amazed that I would be willing to advocate for them in this way. Seeing how grateful they were to see a student joining the cause confirmed that I was making an impact. On the day of the school board meeting, it turned into a much bigger ordeal than I had imagined. All the local news channels showed up to film, and there was a crowd of around 500 people who were going to hear my speech. I was terrified, but knew the importance of communicating my message. The school board was stunned to see a student speaking, and the response from all the teachers in the district was incredible to see. I had never been thanked so much, and I was so proud to stand by my community of teachers who had done so much for me. After my speech I received several comments about how I should pursue a career in politics. However, I did not see that as a path for me but I did wonder how the skills I had learned from this experience might shape what I do in the future. Which is how I discovered my passion for psychology. My teachers were in a vulnerable place and not receiving the support they needed, and I felt called to step in. This is exactly how I see myself in the field of psychology. Being an advocate for vulnerable groups, offering support to those who desperately need it, and being intuitive to understand when something is wrong, and then stepping in to try and make it better. Within psychology, I want to pursue a career in counseling. I want to advocate for my patients and help them through their struggles to live more rewarding lives. I am passionate about supporting those in need. I am grateful to have found my advocacy voice through the speech I gave for my teachers, and I hope to continue using it in a counseling career in the future.