It was eighth grade, and the first time my tiny Catholic school had ever tried to stage a play. I had always wanted to be in a school musical and was completely thrilled by the news. I would do anything to be a part of it, but there was one problem -- I could not sing. Our school decided its first attempt at theater would be The Rockin' Tale of Snow White, a modern and rather bizarre adaptation of the...

We weren’t going to make it. Nina and I were running towards the Schoenfeld Theater, terrified that we'd missed our chance to get tickets to the hottest play in town. We had hopped off the subway just before noon and raced through the throng of sweaty tourists and grimy costumed characters populating Times Square. We got to the box office panting and out of breath, and nervously waited as the short line moved forward. I braced myself for disappointment...

I made my first film, When I Was Home, through Documenting Diversity, a documentary filmmaking workshop at Hofstra University. We were split into pairs, and each of us would make a short film about our partner. My partner, Sam, had immigrated to the United States from China at age fifteen, and was living by himself in Flushing, New York while attending high school. I was astounded -- Sam lived fifteen minutes away from my house, yet his life was completely...

Film speaks to me because it connects people in a way no other art form can. Some of my earliest memories are of watching films with my family at our local movie theater. Sitting in the dark with popcorn in hand, the world melted away for a few hours as a group of strangers were united by the story on screen. Film lets us experience the reality of those around us in the most intimate way possible, which allows us...

I've always looked for the magic in life. I’ve loved the Harry Potter books since I was young, and they shaped my worldview, teaching me the importance of helping others and doing the right thing. This passion led to my discovery of United States Quidditch (formerly International Quidditch Association), an organization that promotes literacy and healthy lifestyles for young people through book drives and the real-life sport of quidditch. After volunteering at the Quidditch World Cup during my freshman...

I steady my bare hands as I lay newspaper down on the table, ready to begin. I have my tools laid out in front of me. This is one of the most complex things I’ve tried to create yet. I put some paint on aluminum foil -- it dries less quickly that way -- and pick up my favorite brush. I layer on my primer, and then I begin to paint ten tiny canvases. I’ve been painting my...

Sticking Together It was the last day of SING! rehearsals, and the backdrop wasn’t yet done. Our art crew needed to finish detailing, but they were fresh out of painter’s tape. I had done a lot while directing SING!, but I had no clue that one of the biggest responsibilities of directing eighty students in a musical would be searching a high school for tape. I frantically searched the stagecraft room, but there was no tape to be...

Jennifer Walsh In honors seminars, you’ll think critically across disciplines and engage in an open exchange of thoughts and opinions. If you could design a new seminar for the Ithaca College Honors Program, what would its subject be and how would it be run? Please be specific about the readings, experiences, and teaching approaches you would want to incorporate into your seminar. If I could design a new seminar for the Ithaca College Honors Program, I would create a...

Once Bitten: Why Buffy the Vampire Slayer Changed My Life I thought Buffy the Vampire Slayer would be a silly, shallow show, but minutes into the first episode, I knew that this was the series I had been searching for my entire life. Buffy excelled at finding humanity in a world full of vampires and demons. Each episode told a sharp, compelling story, relying on writing and acting instead of cheap gimmicks. Even in its kitschiest episodes, the characters were...