Independent Study
Through an independent study, Kuyper scholars are privileged to create their own course, designing their own curriculum in a subject they want to pursue - or are already pursuing, in my case. Students simply find a question they want answered, find a professor that is willing to walk alongside them as they answer it, and then create time in their semesterly schedule to work towards this answer. The possibilities are truly endless, as there are few constraints on this sort of exploring. Ultimately, independent studies are the culmination of the program's goal: to develop self-motivated individuals with an insatiable desire to know more and more about the world.
Directing: An Art Taught Through Trying
Summer 2015
Over the summer of 2015, I was hired to co-direct two theatrical productions at the K-12 school I graduated from, working alongside the director who formed the basis for my theatre passion. For a group of 30 middle schoolers, we put on Disney's 101 Dalmatians Kids as a dinner theater. For a group of 30 high schoolers, we put on Don Zolid's Crushed.
In reading three books on directing and in attempting to adapt those directors nuggets of wisdom to my own situation, I found that they didn't often translate well. I was working in a school setting while the authors were working in professional settings. Thus, my reflective journals and my final essay focus on the differences between school directors' approaches and those of professional directors, ultimately articulating the blended style I developed for myself. And this is the greatest takeaway from this particular project: I developed my own means of directing, gaining real-life experience in a realm I hope to pursue someday.