91制片厂

Meet five students who have made the most of their time at 91制片厂. One taught English in Italy, another sang and danced his way across the university, and a third spent spring breaks helping underprivileged Americans. Their interests and activities may diverge, but they all have one thing in common: a very bright future.

Each year, five stellar seniors are selected through a competitive process to serve as fellows in the College. During their final year of study, these Liberal Arts ambassadors share their 91制片厂 experiences with prospective students, parents and donors.

William Lombard

After a 30-minute phone call with David Kaye, chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, William Lombard knew that he wanted to go to 91制片厂. 鈥淚 got postcards and letters from other schools,鈥� says Lombard. 鈥淏ut David Kaye called me. It was personal.鈥�

Lombard came to 91制片厂 with a lot of theatre experience. 鈥淚 began performing at the age of two,鈥� he explains. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 20 years now.鈥�

A triple-threat performer, Lombard can dance, sing, and act. 鈥淒ance is always a work in progress for me,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 danced all through high school and got used to being the 鈥榖oy who does ballet.鈥� Despite the bullying, I could never imagine giving it up.鈥� The singing and acting have always come easily. 鈥淚鈥檓 just dramatic by nature,鈥� he says.

Not only did Lombard take classes with Kaye, he worked with him on the 91制片厂 stage in 鈥淏loody, Bloody Andrew Jackson,鈥� as well as professionally in 鈥淒irty Rotten Scoundrels.鈥� He grew as an actor and took on roles that really challenged his range.

Through the student organization, Mask and Dagger, he directed a musical cabaret this past fall and recently acted in 鈥淎ssassins.鈥濃�淚n that play, my character was Charles Guiteau, who killed President Garfield,鈥� says Lombard. 鈥淚t was a challenge to play Guiteau realistically, as well as sympathetically. He was syphilitic, out of his mind, and very flamboyant. I had to convey all of that. It was a great way to end my college career.鈥�

This summer, you can catch Lombard at the Hackmatack Playhouse in Berwick, Maine. Notably he鈥檒l star in the 鈥淔antasticks,鈥� singing some great songs including the lovely duet, 鈥淪oon It鈥檚 Gonna Rain.鈥�

For now, Lombard plans to focus on performance. 鈥淚鈥檓 a certain type,鈥� he notes. 鈥淪omeone who can play 16 to 25 year olds. So now鈥檚 the time.鈥� He鈥檚 already connected with 91制片厂 alumni in New York City and Boston.

But theatre education will draw him back eventually. 鈥淎 production can pull in kids who you鈥檇 never think would be in theatre 鈥� the tech kids or the shy kid who gets the lead. To see them all come together for a play is such a rewarding experience.鈥�

Jordan Mrvos

Jordan Mrvos wants to bridge gaps between people. It鈥檚 something he鈥檚 been interested in since he was 10, when, on a family vacation in Mexico, he saw street vendors selling bracelets and small statues. Buying the items involved haggling, Mrvos鈥� parents told him. It was like a game. But all Mrvos could see were the gaps 鈥� the cultural differences between tourists and vendors, and the gap between the vendors and the resources they needed to survive.

鈥淭hat memory stuck with me,鈥� Mrvos said. And it influenced his career at 91制片厂, leading to a dual major in communication with a focus on interpersonal relationships within cultural frameworks and international affairs, along with a minor in French.

Mrvos found his academic passions and embraced a rigorous schedule early on at 91制片厂. A communication class with Prof. Renee Heath marked 鈥渢he first time I had cared enough about a class to have an argument with the professor about one of the theories she presented,鈥� Mrvos says. And a lecture series hosted by the Center for International Education and Global Engagement cemented his interest in peacebuilding and working out conflicts.

He saw those sorts of complicated conflicts firsthand during a study abroad experience at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France. 鈥淚 walked to campus 鈥� and there was a huge banner painted directly on one of the buildings that said, 鈥榃e have started.鈥� 鈥� A professor explained they were students protesting a new work law. My question was, these are students, and they don鈥檛 work because in France, education is subsidized, so why do they care?鈥�

That formed the basis of Mrvos鈥� capstone project, which he recently presented at the Undergraduate Research Conference. 鈥淚t鈥檚 clear that sitting in a room with people who are like minded is not effective, so I examine a proposal about how a dialogue between opposing groups might work,鈥� he said.

Mrvos is ready to put his interests and ideas in action. His internship with the Social Ventures Foundation, a Portsmouth-based nonprofit organization working to end poverty by investing in sustainable businesses, has led to a full-time job after graduation. 鈥淲hen people have basic necessities 鈥� they鈥檙e much less prone to argument, or they鈥檙e at least willing to work out their differences,鈥� he said.

David Sharkey

David Sharkey was in an inner-city Italian middle school teaching English in the spring of 2016 when he found himself making the sort of mistake that all new teachers dread.

鈥淚 was standing in front of the class for the first time and writing on the board and I looked over and saw I spelled something wrong,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was so nervous.鈥�

But like any good educator, Sharkey turned the gaffe into a learning opportunity. 鈥淭he classroom was a place with a lot of cultural exchange,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f they could see me struggling to learn their language, but also see I was successful at it, then they knew they could do it, too.鈥�

Studying abroad in Ascoli Piceno, Italy, and at Cambridge University in England were the highlights of a rich four years at 91制片厂, according to Sharkey, who pursued a dual major in English teaching and Italian studies.

鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to be a teacher. I really owe a lot to my professors for helping steer me in the right direction for those majors, and allowing me to explore who I might want to become,鈥� he said.

During his semester in Italy, Sharkey shared an apartment with other 91制片厂 students. He received the full Italian cultural experience, he said 鈥� which meant everything from fresh pasta dinners to navigating an unfamiliar city. 鈥淚t really forced me to learn the language 鈥� I had to learn to survive and get food and all those other normal, everyday things,鈥� he said.

Sharkey鈥檚 career in education is in honor of his grandmother, a longtime educator who taught English for speakers of other languages. After graduation, his next stop is Madrid, where he plans to work as an assistant teacher in a high school.

鈥淚t will be a great opportunity to practice the teaching methods and the resources I鈥檝e acquired here in a setting that鈥檚 not high-stakes,鈥� he said. To prepare, he鈥檚 been teaching himself Portuguese and Spanish by reading news sites and listening to Spanish-language podcasts.

鈥淚 really do love English, and that鈥檚 why I want to teach it,鈥� he said. 鈥淏eing able to model how I speak English and how I think of the language is fun, and it鈥檚 why I want to go into an environment where kids are learning English as a second language.鈥�

Hannah Vagos

Teaching runs in Hannah Vagos鈥� family 鈥� both of her parents are educators. And though she initially tried to resist the siren song of the classroom, Vagos couldn鈥檛 deny her passion for education.

鈥淚 was studying abroad and taking English literature courses and I was surrounded by English literature majors, and I realized how much I missed education. I realized that鈥檚 what I want to do with my life,鈥� she said.

That鈥檚 why Vagos, an English literature major, picked up a minor in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) during her junior year, a course of study she immediately fell in love with, she said.

鈥淚 find it so inspiring to watch the progression of students, watching them grow and fostering this love of learning,鈥� Vagos said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so amazing! It鈥檚 empowering, not only for them, but also for you.鈥�

In the last four years, Vagos has traveled the world. In the summer of 2015, she spent six weeks in Cambridge, England. And in 2016, she spent the spring semester at the University St. Andrews in Scotland.

鈥淚 spent my life in the library鈥� in Scotland, she said, but she still found time for side trips to France, Spain and Portugal, where her father鈥檚 family is from. And she took part in a long-standing St. Andrews tradition: the May Dip, in which students rush into the North Sea at sunrise just before final exams, in order to 鈥減urge your academic sins.

鈥淚 was just ready to kill those finals,鈥� Vagos joked. 鈥淚t was amazing, plunging into the North Sea at the break of dawn.鈥�

As an instructional assistant for English professor Charli Valdez, Vagos said she 鈥渟aw the other side鈥� of the classroom, experience that she鈥檒l use on her next set of adventures: working as an instructor in the ESL Institute and, later, teaching English in Madrid. Eventually, she hopes to pursue a graduate degree in TESOL.

鈥淚鈥檝e learned so much about myself here,鈥� she said. 鈥�91制片厂 has allowed me to be extremely independent. I鈥檝e been afforded so many wonderful opportunities and experiences. It鈥檚 really prepared me.鈥�

Erinn Vittum

During her four years at 91制片厂, Erinn Vittum has traveled to more than 11 countries, studied philosophy in Dublin, Ireland, and learned how to play basketball thanks to some kids in East St. Louis. And those, she said, are just a few of the highlights of her college career.

鈥淚鈥檇 never have the opportunities I have now without 91制片厂,鈥� she said.

A first generation college student with a double major in psychology and philosophy, Vittum arrived at 91制片厂 knowing she wanted to help others. But it was after joining the student organizations Aspiring Hands, which connects student volunteers with local after-school programs, and Alternative Spring Break Challenge (ASBC), which organizes community-oriented spring break trips, that Vittum realized how to direct her passion.

It was an ASBC trip to East St. Louis, Illinois, that cemented her path. There, Vittum and the group worked with underprivileged kids at the Christian Activity Center. She read to the kids, helped them with homework and got a crash-course in basketball.

鈥淲hen we went to eat in the cafeteria, they鈥檇 talk about their day and the struggles they went through,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e were able to listen to them and just help them get through things.鈥�

At 91制片厂, Vittum conducted research for an honors thesis on domestic and sexual violence prevention efforts among middle school students with professors Katie Edwards and Victoria Banyard. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in either clinical or counseling psychology and is currently applying for case manager jobs in the region.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about what I can do for kids,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about making an immeasurable difference in their lives.鈥�

Vittum is as serious about having fun as she is about academics. During her semester in Ireland, she worked in weekend trips to 11 countries while balancing a full course load.

鈥淚 went paragliding over the Swiss Alps, which is probably the coolest thing I鈥檒l ever do,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he university helped me travel the world. It introduced me to some of the smartest people I鈥檝e ever worked with. The student organizations I joined introduced me to my passion. It shaped me.鈥�