We Soar – Campus Culture

Transcript

This next story might surprise you and is one you definitely don’t wanna miss. Senior and theater arts major Blake almost missed out on completing his degree here at the University of Southern Indiana. That is until they granted him a second chance as he learned a valuable life lesson. The spotlight is on you Blake.

– Thanks Alex. And nice shirt by the way. During high school I was involved in theater and I saw myself continuing after I graduated. So why would an aspiring actor choose to come to Indiana to attend college? Why not go to New York or California? My answer is simple. It was my destiny to come to the University of Southern Indiana. Things weren’t always peachy keen at first though. During my freshman year there was a unforeseen medical event in my family life and this caused me to fail all but one of my classes. And because of that I was put on academic probation and eventually I was academically dismissed. I was able to appeal this though and the university gave me a second chance. With that second chance, I was able to throw myself into the USI theater department. We have a wonderful acting teacher who has inspired us and has given us the best education possible. And he’s also just there to talk to us when we need someone to talk about everyday things, USI is all about opportunities and I was able to find a love for lighting in theater and I was eventually able to design a student-led production. Freshman year I was shy, academically unimpressive and antisocial. Senior year, I’m on the Dean’s list, I’m the secretary for the National Theater Honor Society APO and I’m an RA. It’s weird to think that my academic journey is almost at an end, but my USI faculty cares about my education and has done everything in their power to prepare me for the future. After graduation I plan on pursuing my dream as a voice actor and as a lighting designer. Thank you guys so much for taking the time to listen to my story. Alex, back to you my good sir.

– Right back at ya. Thank you for sharing your courageous personal story with us. There’s no doubt you made the right choice in USI and were right where you are supposed to be with the resources to make the absolute most of your second chance. Here’s to your future success Blake.