Just as many athletes continue their passions in college, some artists have the special opportunity after high school to continue performing and creating on a collegiate level. Numerous students from ETHS are pursuing degrees in their chosen art form. Because many students began, or cultivated their passion for the arts through ETHS’ classes, extracurricular art programs, and communities centered on the arts, The Evanstonian asked seniors pursuing the arts what they were most excited about, and what ETHS has taught them in preparation for their post-college plans as artists.

Piper Bailey, Northwestern University at the  School of Communications; also plans on getting a certificate in Musical Theatre and a minor in Creative Writing.

“Northwestern has student-led theatre groups that focus on creating different works to perform, and this was a big aspect of my reason for wanting to attend there.I’m interested in being in the groups dedicated to social justice, new student-written work, and stories about women.”

“Being a director in YAMO taught me leadership and how hard creating something like that can be. It’s hard work. But it’s so rewarding to hear people laughing at the jokes you wrote and applauding for the show you helped create.” 

“This past year has honestly put a damper on my experience with ETHS theatre. It was a really hard year for me because I dedicated my 4 years at ETHS to a theatre department that I felt didn’t really value me in the end. But it taught me how important acting was to me because of how empty I felt when I wasn’t in any shows.”

Ally Hurd, Macalester College as a prospective physics major and minor in music.

“I’m excited to meet more people who share my love for music and to continue to grow as a musician.”

“I’ve learned that even a performance filled with ‘mistakes’ can be beautiful – in fact often those mistakes are what make it beautiful.”

Sage Jacobson, Berklee School of Music studying vocal performance and music therapy

“I’m excited about being around people who love music as much as I do. I’ll be somewhere where I know I won’t be belittled because I do art.”

“I think ETHS does a pretty good job of understanding students’ individuality and supporting students’ decisions. There was never a time at ETHS when a teacher told me I shouldn’t pursue music.”

Milo Johnson, Illinois State University majoring in Music Education with an Instrumental Band focus.

“Music has loads of meaning on its own, but being able to mold and express that meaning to an audience and convey what is in your head is an incredible process and feeling.” 

“ETHS has taught me to be expressive with my music, and to push myself to be the best musician possible.”

Esther Orlov-Mayer, Oberlin College and Conservatory, double majoring in Creative Writing and French Horn Performance.

“I am most excited to have more time to explore my passion for the arts in-depth, to further my skills and understanding of music and writing, and to really be able to discover who I am as an individual, a musician and writer.”

“ETHS has taught me that each and every artist’s perspective (on life, on art) is different and important, and that this is part of what makes the arts so integral to our communities. It gives people the ability to tell their own stories, express their own opinions, in a meaningful and unique way.”

Kennedy Nicholas, Oklahoma City University studying theatre design and production 

“ETHS taught me how important the behind the scenes are compared to the actual acting or dancing because without crew, a show just wouldn’t happen.”

“I’m excited for the opportunities that I’m going to get… behind the scenes of a show is one of the most important things you can work on in theatre.”

Ryan Tharayil, Berklee School of Music studying film scoring.

“I’m excited to be around people who are about music at the same level that I do, and be around a lot of creative people that know what they’re doing.”

“I think ETHS has a really strong music program. They are very encouraging and welcoming, they like to get people involved.”

The Evanstonian reached out to every senior from our knowledge who is pursuing the arts in their post-high school plans; we did not receive a reply from every student. These seniors will also be continuing their art careers:

• Aidan Calkins, University of Iowa, music-related major
• Hansley Bordes, Columbia College Chicago, photojournalism
• Charlie Lowman, Kody Norris Show in Mountain City
• Alex Nimrod, University of Southern California, theatre
• Caroline Roche, George Washington University, studio art 
• Sam Tannen, University of Southern California, trumpet
• Ethan Thuo, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, jazz performance
• Josiah Williams, Columbia College Chicago, filmmaking