Hello, I'm Alyssa! I'm a second year in theatre at the School of Communications and in Manufacturing and Design Engineering (MADE) in McCormick School of Engineering. Outside of class, I've worked a lot in both student theatre and school theatre (the Wirtz Center) in a variety of roles. I'm also involved in my residential college (dormitory), and I help plan events for my dorm such as cookouts, faculty lectures, etc. Aside from that, I go into Chicago every weekend, so I can speak about the surrounding areas.

Hometown

Los Altos, California

Major(s)

Theatre, Manufacturing and Design Engineering

Clubs, organizations & involvement

Theatre (in both school and student theatre) - Stage Manager (PSM and ASM), Costume Designer, Technical Director, Costume Shop Volunteer Residential Colleges (Dorms) - First Year Leadership, Academic Chair (Connecting Faculty and Students) Goodman Theatre Student Ambassador Film - Grip, Shadowing First AD Direct Reading Program (Math) - Afterschool math program where you work with a grad student through a piece of math text

Describe your college experience

It was a change to come from California to the Mid-West, but I've had experience from living in a boarding high school. Moving in and out was really smooth for the first year, and I've had a lot of help making friends through dorm activities, extracurriculars, and classes.

Tip for future students

Take time to explore a lot of new things! A lot of professors are actually really approachable; I've walked into several offices of professors (not in my major) just out of vague interest, and they'll take time to talk with you.

Favorite class

I've really enjoyed my stage management work in the winter with the school. I was an assistant stage manager for one of the winter shows, and while I went to rehearsals after school, the program also provided three different classes to support stage managers in their productions during the quarter. Thus, I had a class to learn about the general theatre tech experience, a class on stage management, and a third class which was a check in specifically for my production. It was a really immersive experience, and I felt like I was able to learn multiple angles to approach my work and apply it each day during rehearsals.

Career goals

I want to explore engineering more in relation to theatre, but it's still very vague for now.

Ideal way to spend a free night

If it's a Friday, I tend to go downtown with my friends and catch a show. We'll find a restaurant beforehand, walk around a little, watch the show, and then catch the CTA back up to Evanston. It's a good way for my friends and I find different local communities because Chicago is known for a variety of unique theatres.

High school or secondary school

Stevenson School, Pebble Beach, CA