ANNA SERA 16, JUNIOR AT NOTRE DAME ACADEMY
HOW HAS BEING A STUDENT AT NOTRE DAME IMPACTED YOU? Notre Dame has afforded me the opportunity to do more of what I love while in a school setting. In middle school, I did not have a theater program at school. I always had to do outside theater. Notre Dame finally allowed me the opportunity to blend my passion, musical theater, with my school life.
WHAT TEACHERS INSPIRE YOU? Mrs. Wilson, my director and teacher at Notre Dame, has been a great inspiration to me. She is able to find different sides to my characters that I was unable to see before. She then challenges me to try new things and move outside of my comfort zone. One of the biggest inspirations in my life was my fifth-grade teacher, Mr.Byrd. He had complete faith in me, no matter what. He pushed me to be a better student than I was. He is the reason that I am in advanced math today. He taught me to manage my time by working smarter, not harder.
WHAT ARE YOUR STRATEGIES TO KEEP FOCUSED WHEN LIFE GETS BUSY? I personally love making lists. I am a visual person and if I can see a list of everything that needs to be done, it begins to feel more manageable. Otherwise, I feel like everything is piling up and there is nothing I can do about it. This can leave people feeling overwhelmed. Organization is the best way to combat a busy life.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS? My biggest success was probably getting the role of Sandra Bloom in “Big Fish” at Notre Dame. There is a significant amount of people who never saw me as a leading lady. I was always the goofy characters or the best friends of the lead. I am not trying to diminish the role of these characters. They often add more to the show than the main characters, but they never get the recognition. These roles are not bad, but no one thought that I was capable of doing more than that. The fact that Mrs. Wilson was able to see me as a mother and caretaker as well as a cutesy, young girl was an incredible triumph, in my opinion. The character of Sandra actually has three different ages (18-ish, 30 and 60). I had to play all three ages, causing me to investigate ways of adapting to make myself seem older during one song and young in the next scene.
HOW HAS BEING IN THEATER IMPACTED YOUR TEENAGE YEARS? Musical theater has taught me how to speak in public. Public speaking is the No.1 fear among people. Many are more afraid of public speaking than they are of death. Theater helps you overcome this fear by putting you in front of crowds which can range from two people to 2,000 people. It has also boosted my confidence level. Even when I am feeling down in the dumps, my acting skills can help me put on a happy demeanor, allowing me the choice to keep moving forward. It has also improved my hair and makeup skills. I do all of my own styling for every dance I attend.
WITH COLLEGE AROUND THE CORNER, WHAT PERSONAL GOALS KEEP YOU FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE? My goals for the future are to attend and graduate college, win an Oscar, originate a role on Broadway, get married and have children.
PHOTO BY LORI KRENZEN
