Graduating high school and leaving APTP was a bittersweet moment for me. With all the college mentorship I received at APTP I was so excited for the changes to come as I started my first year at Knox College. I felt prepared to problem solve and to speak up when college proved difficult, something I struggled with a lot before APTP.
The most beautiful thing about being part of the APTP family is never truly losing that family no matter where I am. My APTP mentors never fail to check up on me, whether to ask how my classes are going, what new things I am learning, or to catch up about my new discoveries. This is said a lot in the company and it never fails to be the truth: Even when you leave APTP you’re never truly gone.
When I completed my first year at Knox, APTP invited me to return for the summer as a Swing Performer/Rehearsal Captain for Port of Entry. The slight nerves I felt returning as an alum dissipated the minute I stepped into the building. Being welcomed back with warm, loving smiles was amazing. I loved applying so much of the learning I did at college to the work we do in APTP.
Participating in the process of building the Port of Entry world gave me so much perspective about both the world of theater and the world in general. I appreciated more than ever APTP’s strong sense of community and the care and insight we put into the issues we are addressing. Returning to a group of youth who have as much passion about the performance and its social issues as I did back as a high school ensemble member was refreshing and relieving at the same time.
APTP will always be a constant reminder of hope for me. To see so many people fighting for the same values, struggling with the same issues, and caring about the same problems never fails to ease my mind about the community we have with each other as humans. I hold a lot of pride in being able to say that being in APTP has changed me to become a better person who strives for change in the world.