UC San Diego

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence." Calvin Coolidge once said, "Talent will not..."

Each day, the actor approaches the Colosseum of Theatre, armed to the teeth with vocal and physical technique, a barrage of strong character choices, and the beat of an open and curious heart. But these skills alone are not what separate the talented and interested from the passionate and successful.

The difference is persistence. Perhaps not persistence itself, but what lies beneath. It is the drive to find new depths in old work, to fearlessly brave the journey (which is uphill, both ways) of creating something from nothing and even more fearlessly letting it fly away, to dust yourself off after challenges, time and time and time again, and find that you still shine vibrantly underneath.

The obvious gifts that my time at UCSD has bestowed are many. The range of my ability to transform, to plunge the farthest corners of my own imagination, and to guide audiences through the journey of a story has deepened almost immeasurably. There is focus and precision behind work that was once guided by pure instinct. The real gift, however, is not this new set of skills, but rather the backbone around which they were encouraged to grow. None of this would be possible without the persistence it took to gain these skills, and I am convinced that, if nothing else, it is this persistence which will carry me through my career.