What are some of your favorite memories from your time at the University of Iowa?

 I have fond memories of the Feminist Voices Showcase – a biannual arts showcase put on by the University of Iowa Feminist Union. My freshman year, the club president at the time, Audrey, she encouraged me to read something at the event. I was nervous, and wasn’t really sure I had anything worth saying, but the audience was very receptive and responsive, snapping along to my essay as though it were a slam poem, and I left the stage with a smile on my face. After Audrey graduated, I took on the responsibilities of planning and running the showcase, and every time we had brave, candid performers and a wonderful, supportive crowd.

I also have a lot of happy memories from my dorm. I was in the Iowa Writers LLC and I clicked very quickly with the people around me there. There was one moment, one of my very first nights on campus – we had all gathered in one person’s dorm room to listen to a podcast, and for a long time we just all stood there chatting, because it had hit us all at once that each of us had been the “only person in my high school who was into this nerdy stuff.” And here we all were, in the same room together!

In what ways did you challenge yourself (conventionally or otherwise) in your undergraduate studies and beyond?

 The biggest challenge of my undergraduate studies, and also the biggest benefit, was taking so many workshop-style writing courses. Having an entire room of people picking your work apart in front of you while you have to sit there and say nothing – it isn’t easy! But I can tell my writing improved profoundly over the course of those four years at the UI. And I’ve gotten a lot better at taking criticism as a result, too.

Midway through my time at the UI I decided to add another field of study – I was already majoring in English & Creative Writing and Psychology, but I decided that if I wanted to write shows, I should learn all that I could about the production of shows, so that there would be less translation necessary between me and the people using my scripts. I took a Stage Management class and right away asked my teacher if she knew about any opportunities to put what I was learning into practice. She quickly put me in touch with a Stage Manager in the University of Iowa New Play Festival, and I ended up working as both an Assistant Stage Manager and a Stage Manager on several productions my last two years of school. It’s a big time commitment, with not only the rehearsals and meetings but the work a stage manager has to put in outside of those official times, so balancing that with schoolwork and my other extracurriculars was certainly a challenge. But I’m very glad I did it; I had a great time and I learned so much, and in the end I had enough credits for a minor in Theatre Arts!

Tell us about something fun or unusual you were involved in at Iowa!

 I spent a couple summers as a band coach/camp counselor for Girls Rock! Iowa City, teaching eight-to-sixteen-year-olds how to play the drums. It’s a great program; over the course of one week, these girls go from never having picked up a musical instrument before to performing an original song on stage! Seeing them blossom in talent and confidence was always satisfying, and when you’re working with kids and their boundless creativity and energy, you really never know what’s going to happen next.

What’s something you wish you had known/done as an undergraduate student?

 I wish I’d been able to make more time for music. Girls Rock! was a nice outlet, I had friends in band and orchestra, but I was never was able to fit it into my schedule. I still have my stickbag sitting in my closet, waiting for the right opportunity.

Describe your role/experience in the Disney College Program!

 I applied for the program during my sophomore year at the UI, and was fortunate enough to be accepted on my first try. I spent the next semester working at the Festival of the Lion King in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I had a great time doing my part to bring that show to life for the thousands of people who visited each day – even though my part was mostly just telling people to “please slide all the way down the benches, filling in all available space!” I learned that it was possible to make someone’s day with just a smile and a wave, or with a tip about where to find their favorite animal in the park, and it was a delight to spend time with Simba, Pumbaa, and Timon every day. Best of all, I had the opportunity to network with people from many different parts of the Disney company, including the Disney Parks Live Entertainment Show Writer Intern.  I returned to the UI the following fall with that internship as my next goal to work towards. And sure enough, after putting a lot of work into learning about show production, polishing up my portfolio, and graduating from the UI, I got the show writer internship! Those five months were the best of my life so far – I learned so much from the incredibly talented DPLE team of directors, writers, and production assistants, and I had the honor of seeing my scripts performed in the parks for thousands of Guests to experience and enjoy.

Reflecting on your time at Iowa and life after graduation, how did the Presidential Scholarship impact your life as a student at Iowa, and how has it impacted your life beyond Iowa?

 The PSP community was a major part of my time at Iowa. It was great to have a group of people right from the start, all of us from different places and with different interests, but united in a love of learning. We were all new to campus and I for one took solace in quickly having familiar faces to pick out from the crowds of UI students. I found one of my best friends in that group; we still keep in touch even though we’re in different parts of the country these days.

Looking back, did you expect to be where you are now? If not, reflect on how you navigate “the unexpected” in your life.

I’ve never really had any concrete expectations for where I would end up, except that I would be doing something that I loved for a living – being bored and unhappy just plain never seemed like an option to me. Did I specifically picture myself working in Attractions at Walt Disney World, after having the most incredible opportunity so far in my writing career? No – but only because I didn’t know that something like that was possible until I came here and it happened. I believe that the way to go about navigating the unexpected is to keep as many doors open as possible, while at the same time keeping my goals in mind. I know what makes me happy, and I trust that the opportunities will come – and while I wait, I keep developing myself, learning everything I can and networking with everyone I can. So, when I’m in the right place and the right time to write for a living once again, I will also be the right person for the gig.