Graduation Speech: Belonging Analysis

The word “belonging” has always been sensitive to me, because, in essence, I’ve never felt I’ve truly belonged somewhere. Even young, I was among people from different cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds that cliqued together and was often alone. All I knew was being on stage and feeling the audience connected us in a surefire way. I wasn’t anyone else on stage but myself, and with this gift I could connect with anyone. I have always garnered some type of reaction from my audience that lets me know, in that moment, we’re present together, on the same Earth, at the same time, in the same space, while feeling the same thing; and that is the magic of theatre. It became apparent that belonging nowhere was a gift that afforded me the ability to live and communicate with

people. It took me a while to learn that belonging doesn’t stem from outside of the body but from within. It is a feeling-a knowledge that can only be attained by the individual. However, I could not use theatre as my crutch and worked to create happiness within myself without searching it from elsewhere. Finding the art within me allowed me to truly understand the art of happiness. There is a certain desire I have as a human being to reach people in ways they could have never imagined.

Most do not give theatre a chance, but they do find that theatre takes even the most unwilling soul and transforms itself into a mirror of the human condition. I will never forget why I do this. Truly, I say, my goal is to wake up every morning loving what I do-the arts. I will never forget the seventh grade students I had to supervise and the complete, utter chaos in the room while I did so; until I suddenly said, “We’re going to play a game where everyone guesses each others’ talents!” The silence that fell upon the room confirmed the need for the soul to be seen, to be heard, to be acknowledged, and theatre acknowledges everyone, whether you’re wrong, right, evil, or good-it captures the entire human persona. Those students were fully invested in learning each other, and this touched us all. When an actor is able to touch someone, he or she has not used witchcraft or magicians’ folly but the magic of theatre which requires the soul. When someone can identify with a character, they can connect with a person who is that character, wants to be that character, or has been that

character. It doesn’t require one to be THE best technician, actor, or director, but it does require that he or she be the absolute best that he or she can be. An unforgettable experience was playing the role of a female African wailer who had lost her husband, and I will never forget the sound of the audience or the taste of the air-the connective tissue that ran through all of us, at once, simultaneously. I became the creative vessel. I need to be a part of a team of innovators, leaders, and artists who are not complacent with comfort but always striving to elevate toward the next level, and it’s about humility and elevation in the sense of connection that will allow me to connect with any soul. I bring activism, fire, the ability to accept I am not the best but to always strive for my personal best, the ability to work under pressure-grace, and the ability to support my peers. I am an artist dedicated to active change, feeding with artistic nutrition, and fueling creativity acting as a Goddess of Fire. My life will spark a change, but it will take the village, of which a student of yours spoke admirably, to raise the artist. I know that village is the University of Kentucky.