UC San Diego

The idiom "to come full circle" signifies a return back to the point from which a person or idea started, especially after a significant journey or process. It is the completion of a cycle and brings to mind the familiar "circle of life." In terms of my artistic training here, I've learned that the actor's process is the most important aspect of what we do, and in this process we are continually coming full circle. We approach a part with a certain level of understanding and, after a few weeks, come back to our character and our initial instincts with a much deeper and more realized interpretation. There's no way to shortcut this process, and we wouldn't want to even if we could.

The MFA Acting program here has been both an intensely rigorous and enlightening journey over the past three years, and I believe that I am graduating a stronger man and artist. I've learned that acting problems are essentially life problems, and as much as the training here is about acting, it's also about who we are as human beings - what makes us tick, our values and beliefs, our individual strengths and weaknesses. As we become stronger, more dynamic artists, we also become more empathetic, holistic individuals. In the end, acting, like life, is about coming full circle. It's about diving in and embracing the journey back to the beginning. And we can never forget that we (just like the journey itself) are enough just as we are.