RIGHT AT HOME
I always tell people that Purchase is not for every student; it’s not like the other state colleges. You have to keep your mind open to all the possibilities while you’re here because there are so many different kinds of artistic expression.

When I first came to Purchase, I wasn’t sure I’d fit in. But my Orientation leader, June, was so wild and open and accepting. She took me aside and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll love it here!” and I relaxed. I love how open, diverse and welcoming the students are here. And the way that nobody worries about what anyone else is doing. We’re all so driven by our own art.

Purchase is a wonderful place if you make it so.

ONE–ON–ONE
One thing I really like about Purchase is the many chances you have to go one-on-one with your professors. The faculty here are so understanding and so concerned about you.

This semester, I’m taking a theatre course where we go into New York City every Wednesday to see an experimental play. I think my favorite sociology classes so far have been “Mass Media in Society” and “Rebels, Freaks and Prophets;” and in drama studies, they were “Performing the Self in Society”—about solo performing which was totally new to me—and “Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Drama,” which was fascinating because it went all the way back to Shakespeare.

STARTING NOW…MAKING A DIFFERENCE
For my senior project, I’m directing a play called “The Baltimore Waltz” by Paula Vogel. It’s an AIDS drama that pre-dates “Angels in America.” Any money that it makes, I’m going to donate to the World AIDS Foundation and Cooley’s Anemia Foundation.

Life after Purchase? I think I’d like to work on the African AIDS crisis or with a group like ACT UP. I think I could really help them stage performance pieces and benefits.

Senior Project: 
    Processing Grief: Social Performance of Comedy and Tragedy
    Directing the Baltimore Waltz (Powerpoint)