Student Success Story: Olivia Carlton
Olivia Carlton graduated from New Kent High School in the spring of 2020. Though her senior year was cut short due to the pandemic, Olivia found ways to make the best of the unideal situation. After graduation and many air-hugs and congratulations, Olivia started preparing for the adventures she would soon take at VCU, a place she would soon call home come fall. Olivia declared her major - Music with a concentration in Vocal Performance. Olivia's interest in the performance arts and singing started long before this. Her first experience in Trojan Theatre was when she participated in the show "Almost, Maine." Olivia says, "I got to aim a flashlight at a wall and I thought it was the coolest thing ever." Even the smallest tasks kindle a spirit of wonder in the theatre.
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The magic of the flashlight had entranced Olivia, and she had no idea then, but her life from that point on would be filled with theatre and the arts. When asked about how Trojan Theatre helped her, Olivia replied, "I got a lot of good advice when it came time to start applying to college, especially from Mrs. Kesling and Ms. Moore. They knew which schools had the best programs for what I wanted to pursue." Mrs. Kesling and Mrs. Moore being the theatre teacher and vocal coach, respectively.
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Olivia is now participating in a variety of virtual performances, mainly for chorus. She says, "If I hadn’t done theatre in high school, I doubt I’d be motivated to keep doing these virtual performances because it’s really tough. Now that I know what a “real” performance feels like, it makes me hopeful that we will all be singing together on a stage soon." The best part about what she is doing now is the people who are helping shape her into a performer who is ready to take on the world. She says, "I’m feeling very productive and motivated in my voice lessons, and I trust my voice teacher with my entire life at this point. She’s given me several amazing performance opportunities that I’m currently pursuing and I’m just so lucky that I have a teacher that cares so much about her students."
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Finally, Olivia has some final words for anyone who is pursuing a similar path; so we'll give her the floor: "If you pursue a music major, I think the most important thing to remember is to be patient with yourself. I struggle with some of my music classes like theory and piano, but I never question whether I want to give up because I know where my passion lies. It’s definitely not an easy major, but you need to trust yourself and tell yourself that you can do it with the right mindset." Trojan Theatre could not be more proud of Olivia and her achievements.