Major:
Theatre Design & Technology
Hometown:
Fairfax, VA
Why did you choose to attend WVU?
I originally chose WVU for the scenic mountains and robust engineering program. However, I quickly realized that engineering was not the path to where I wanted to be and discovered the Theater program would be a much more direct route.
What is your profession now?
I am a fabricator at CJS Workshop in Groton, MA. I repair, refurb, and replace costumes and puppets for theme park characters and promotional events. CJS also intends to work in commercials, TV, and film.
What is your most interesting current/upcoming project?
I am working on the dressing, a knight costume, that will be used to display how one of the animatronic skeletons from Catalyst, an animatronics company, will look on sets.
How do you feel WVU and the College of Creative Arts prepared you for your career?
I am the youngest on the fabrication team, yet myself and another WVU alum that graduated 2022, are the only ones on the team that can operate industrial sewing machines and are strong stitchers. The program at WVU made me a very flexible worker and has provided me with many different skills. Something that other similar programs can't lay claim to.
If you could give one piece of advice to incoming or current students in WVU's College of Creative Arts, what would it be?
I would say to anybody pursuing my major; know what you want to get out of the program. I have seen students take every opportunity to learn and better themselves in the interest of a goal beyond college, myself included. However, I have also seen students who have no idea what they actually want to do and consistently flounder, ending up with dead end jobs and a Theater degree.