Caroline Arkalji
Major: Political Science and International Affairs
Minors: Global Trade and Commerce and Latin American Studies
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: It has been a delight to be able to work at the Box Office, with people like Leslie Spencer and Adarian Sneed. I have enjoyed immensely being closer to the creative and inspiring.
Post-graduation plans: Currently going to graduate school in Washington DC, at American University School of Foreign Service, but still waiting on other results.
Specials thanks: My family and friends that have been essential in my trajectory at Wake Forest, as they have encouraged me challenge myself constantly in order to attain what I envisioned for.
Kaylah Bozkurtian
Major: Studio Art
Minors: Creative Writing, History, & Theatre
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: Every one of my professors and collaborators in the Theatre & Dance department has enriched my Wake Forest experience with their encouragement and expertise, but I would like to extend a special thank-you to Alice Barsony for making me feel at home in the costume studio. My journey as a costume designer began when I was a sophomore at Wake, and Alice has been incredibly patient with me as I've grown into costume design as a discipline.
Post-graduation plans: I plan to spend another year in Winston-Salem after graduation—as an employee of Wake Forest University, rather than a student—before going on to pursue a creative career that will allow me to merge my love of visual art with my love of literary, visual, and/or theatrical storytelling.
Specials thanks: Thank you to the Anthony Aston Players, past and present, for welcoming me with open arms as a freshman and sending me off with love as a senior. I found a home-away-from-home with all of you, and I'll miss you when I go.
Sierra Browning
Major: Health and Exercise Science
Minors: Chemistry and Religious Studies
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: My favorite memory of TAD occurred during the production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle. The rollers the set was on became stuck with gaff tape and I, as ASM, was tasked with peeling the tape off the set as the rotation began. It led to many laughs and memories as the cast members realized I was on the floor in the middle of the set.
Post-graduation plans: I will be taking a gap year in Winston while applying for Medical School.
Special thanks: Thank you to Michael Kamtman for filling in as the AAP faculty advisor during Kevin's sabbatical. I would also like to thank Kevin for his wisdom, patience, and guidance through the past two years within AAP.
Jen Carroll
Major: Business and Enterprise Management with a concentration in International Financial Advisory
Minor: Economics
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: Although most of my time is spent in the box office, I was part of The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and it was so much fun to do!
Post-graduation plans: I’ll be moving to NYC to work as a credit analyst for Fitch Ratings!
Specials thanks: I’d like to thank Leslie Spencer for being amazing to work with and talk to <3
Chris Cates
Majors: Sociology and Theatre
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: My favorite thing about my time in this department has been the fact that I was embraced for all of my different and varying interests. I was not forced to fit into some box of what a dancer looks like, or how a performer should approach acting, or how a stage manager should conduct production meetings. I was allowed to find and cultivate my own path with the help of professors who cared about my wellbeing and success.
Post-graduation plans: Hopefully graduate school :)
Special thanks: I want to thank my mother for always believing in me and supporting me, my family for knowing I would be great at whatever I put my mind to, and the TAD and Sociology professors for pushing me to always bring myself to whatever class or environment I find myself in. A special shoutout and thank you to Kevin for always being a great mentor during productions and for taking the time out of his life to ensure I always felt confident in my job.
Lainey Drake
Majors: Physics (BS) and Theatre (BA)
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: Our department gave me the ability to connect with our campus through performance the way I always wanted. I feel lucky to have been on stage or in attendance of productions which have sparked important cultural and political conversations during my time here including The Wolves, How I Learned to Drive, The Normal Heart, and John Proctor is the Villain. By bringing stories about women, survivors of sexual abuse/assault, gay right's activists, victim of the HIV/AIDs epidemic, and adolescence to the stage, we have maintained our theatre as a space capable of provoking change. I hope moving forward our department will work to truly uplift and empower marginalized voices in our community in order to change Wake Forest for the better.
Post-graduation plans: I am moving to Los Angeles, CA, to work as an aerospace engineer on the Systems Engineering, Integration and Test team at Virgin Orbit. Virgin Orbit is Sir Richard Branson's private satellite launch company and innovator of the LauncherOne, the first ever air-launched orbital rocket.
Katherine Finch
Major: Philosophy
Minors: Political Science & International Affairs and Dance
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: I will always be grateful for the times I spent backstage with friends getting ready for performances or in student choreography rehearsals. It is so wonderful to be in a dance environment that is so loving and collaborative.
Post-graduation plans: I am moving to Dallas, Texas to start as a full-time financial analyst at Goldman Sachs!
Specials thanks: Nina Lucas--thank you so much for everything you do!
Abigail Franke
Major: English
Minors: Creative Writing and Theatre
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: I've always stuck in theatre because of the people. I met my college mom and emergency contact when she was my first ever stage manager for the show, The Wolves, and she has helped me with every crisis in my life since.
Post-graduation plans: Law school at Colorado University Boulder
Special thanks: Thank you to Brook and the rest of the faculty for helping me work through things and being such a constant pillar of support for me throughout my time at Wake.
Elinor Grage
Major: Theatre!
Minor: Chemistry
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: My favorite memory was being able to put on a production of the Egg Play.
Post-graduation plans: I was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in the Czech Republic for a year before attending Wake Med and will then be attending Wake Forest School of Medicine. Go Deacs!
Specials thanks: Special thank you to Sharon Andrews and Micheal Kamtman for getting me started in theatre, and to Evan Souza, Michael Votto, and Kevin Frazier for believing in and supporting the Egg Play! And shoutout to THESE ONIONS!
Emily Harkins
Majors: Finance and French Studies with a concentration in Business French
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: What makes me most proud to be a member of the Wake Forest Dance Company is our attitude towards each other. I love that I am able to dance to the best of my abilities while being lifted up by my incredibly talented teammates. They have always inspired me to be the best dancer that I can be, so thank you to everyone who has danced besides me over the past 4 years!
Post-graduation plans: After graduation, I will be working at Jefferies in New York City as an Equity Research Associate. I hope to continue to take dance classes in the Big Apple!
Specials thanks: I would love to thank Nina Lucas for investing in me as a dancer since the very beginning. I was casted for her piece during my freshman fall and still remember her welcoming me into the company. I've absolutely adored being in her class and pieces in the fall dance concerts and being personally invited to assist a master class with her at UNSCA. I'm forever thankful for Nina in my growth as a dancer and a person. Love you Nina, you're the best!
Renate Ma
Majors: Chemistry with a concentration in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery B.S.; Classical Studies B.A.
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: I have loved every moment of being a part of the dance department! From the performances, the classes, my friends, to my teachers, I have always felt supported. It has definitely helped to create a sense of belonging.
Post-graduation plans: Medical School
Specials thanks: I would like to thank my friends, my family, the dance faculty, the classics department, the chemistry department, and everybody who has supported me through my undergraduate career.
Elena Marsh
Major: English
Minor: Journalism
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: I remember being cast in my first mainstage show my freshman year. I was so excited for all of the possibilities and friendships I would make in this department.
Post-graduation plans: After graduation I will be moving into the world of writing and reporting both as a freelance journalist and editor for a local newspaper. All this will go toward preparing to work at a major publication someday.
Specials thanks: Thank you to my family for always supporting me and to myself for having the courage to let go of an art form I have loved since childhood.
Sarah McLoughlin
Major: Finance
Involvement in the department: I am a Presidental Scholar in Dance and have been a member of the Dance Company for four years.
Specials thanks: I am so thankful for my time at Wake Forest and am incredibly grateful for the amazing faculty members of the Dance Department for helping me grow both as a dancer and person these last four years.
Molly Olson
Major: Communication with a concentration in Media Studies
Minor: Writing
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: My favorite memory in the Theatre Department was performing in Wake World in 2019 and performing in She Loves Me this spring.
Post-graduation plans: I will serve as the Wake Forest Fellow in the Office of President for a year and then I'm off to Second City!
Specials thanks: Thank you to Kevin Frazier for all your encouragement and kindness during my time on AAP Exec! And thank you to my fellow seniors in the department for being such good friends to me for the past four years, I love you all dearly.
Ekkiosa Olumhense
Major: Communication
Minors: Film Studies and Théâtre
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: I enjoyed performing in The Crucible, John Proctor is the Villain, working Sharon and I enjoyed Contemporary Drama with Brooke, and being on Haunted Tunnels sophomore year.
Post-graduation plans: Screenwriting and cinematography
R. J. Pratt
Major: Anthropology
Minor: Italian Language and Culture
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: The first year I was here all the people in the department - faculty, students, even the seniors - were so kind and welcoming, I knew that Wake Forest Theatre could be a great home for me.
Post-graduation plans: I'm moving to Los Angeles this summer to pursue a professional career in acting on film and television.
Special thanks: I'd like to thank my family for always supporting me and my friends here for helping me reach places I didn't know I could get: I don't know what my life would be like without you all here at my side.
Mariana Rocha-Goldberg
Major: History
Minors: Spanish, Dance, and Latin American and Latino Studies
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: I have enjoyed dancing all four years of my college experience and making it a large part of my identity as a Wake Forest student. Within my experience as a dancer here, I was able to expand my technique and learn new ways to include my Latin folkloric background into the way I express myself through movement in a completely new setting. Coming from a unique dance background, it took me a little while to find where I felt most comfortable in the department. Thanks to Ms. Tina Yarborough and Ms. Janice Lancaster, I had great mentors who supported my learning process and encouraged me to always go the extra step to include my identity in every movement I made. Because of their support I gravitated towards the Modern and Special Topics (African Dance and Improvisation) classes that were taught by them, where they were already aware of how vulnerable I felt in adding my folkloric technique and they dedicated their efforts to making me feel fully welcome, accepted, and loved.
Post-graduation plans: My next step is to take a gap year, in which I might be applying to short-term jobs or academic programs, before I apply to law school. I hope that this year will allow me to expand my experiences and become more certain of what I would like to do after law school.
Special thanks: I would like to thank my family and friends for supporting me in everything that I do, always being my number one fans and making sure that I have everything that I need in order to succeed. Next, I would like to thank all of the dance professors that have accepted me.
Yaser Salamah
Majors: Psychology and Theatre
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: The connections and opportunities provided through this department have been life changing. Because of a workshop I attended my first year with performance artist Tim Miller, I now identify myself as a writer and performance artist as well as an actor, and was able to put on my own show, Toler(h)ated: Muslim in America. Being given the space to share these stories and move so many people the way Miller moved me, the way Rohina Malik moved me, touched my heart in a deep and unexplainable way. I'll forever have gratitude for being given a space to perform, to write, to create, and to enhance my work, and will never forget the conversations that followed my performance, both from my non-Muslim colleagues who learned from my words, but especially from my Muslim peers who were moved by my performance.
Post-graduation plans: After graduation, I'll be moving to California! I plan to live with family and work in San Diego over the summer, and by August, move to the LA area to pursue acting professionally. I hope to make a lifetime career of acting, be it on stage or on camera, and will continue the steps to make that a reality as post-grad life begins.
Specials thanks: My mother for support beyond words. Chris Cates and RJ Pratt for friendships beyond understanding. Adarian Sneed for more than I can list, and more beyond even that. So, so many friends, peers, connections, and educators. To everyone: thank you.
Adarian M. Sneed
Major: Business & Enterprise Management with a Concentration in Marketing
Minor: Theatre
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: Someone who has been a huge influence to me is Nina Lucas. Her kind soul and tender heart always brightens my day whenever I see her in Scales Lobby! She has been instrumental in supporting me in every production I've been in. There wasn't a show that I did where Nina didn't leave a note and a treat for me in my dressing room on Opening Night! I am so glad to have met a warm and talented soul like her.
Post-graduation plans: I will be moving to New York City! I will be a Marketing Analyst at American Express. While in New York, I hope to continue to pursue my passions for the arts.
Special thanks: I want to thank God, my beautiful mother Apryl, my amazing uncle Al, and my spectacular sister Alaprentia. They, along with the theatre department, have been my biggest support system over the course of my time here at Wake. Thank you!
Tommy Taylor
Major: Engineering
Minor: Theatre
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: I think my favorite memory from working in the theater at Wake is our pre-scene macarena's during The Crucible. It's such a silly little thing but I always smile when I think back on it. Plus having that second of levity before going out into what was a serious show was so important for me to calm my nerves and help me get out of my own way while performing.
Post-graduation plans: Next for me is definitely graduate school, I'm going to be studying electrical engineering with a planned focus in Robotics. Right now, I'm most likely headed to NC State but papers have to be signed and all that before anything's set in stone!
Specials thanks: I want to thank Sharon Andrews and Brook Davis for showing me that I still had room in my life for theater. I also want to thank Jon Christman and Thomas Williams for everything they've taught me during my time working in the shop! I'd also like to thank my family for being so supportive of my theater work both in high school and here at Wake!
Fuyuan Zheng
Majors: Anthropology and Theatre
Minor: Health Policy & Administration
Favorite memory from being a part of the department: Not long ago someone asked me where my sense of belonging in college comes from, and I said without hesitance that it is from the TAD department. Every moment spent here and every person I met was invaluable for me and my college experience. It is really difficult to pick one favorite memory from all these highlights, but if there has to be one, that would be my first time calling cues for The Normal Heart.
Post-graduation plans: After graduation, I will continue my theatre journey by joining the MFA Stage Management program at Columbia University School of the Arts. I am very excited for this new chapter of life and can't wait to see where the road will lead me from there.
Specials thanks: I would like to thank all the faculty and professors who have helped me, taught me, and encouraged me along the way and also thank members from AAP & BiMoo for always supporting me on my side.