Some people are born with a drive to pursue a particular 职业生涯, others choose to follow in their parents’ footsteps and just as many fall in love with an industry later in life that they never could have imagined as a child. 对于Evette Srouji来说 后一种情况.
Becoming a teacher was Srouji’s initial plan. 她根本不关心戏剧，直到 她从布鲁姆菲尔德高中开始. Having an interest in makeup, she decided to help with stage hair and makeup for her school’s production of "Holmes for the Holidays” But then she started auditioning, landing her first acting role in "Heathers: The Musical” marking the beginning of her journey into the world of theater.
Srouji loved the behind-the-scenes work that went into a quality theatrical production. When it came time to look for colleges to apply to, she knew she still wanted to pursue teaching, but her interests had evolved into theater education.
Originally, Srouji was determined to go to a college outside of Colorado. 日益增长的 up in Broomfield, she was itching to leave her hometown. 直到她父亲 informed her that the 北科罗拉多大学 (UNC) had an excellent Theatre Education program that she looked at UNC.
It didn’t take long for her to make her decision.
“UNC has one of the best theater programs in the country,” said Srouji. “我宁愿 do theater from my first day than wait until my junior year at other schools where you’d major in education with an emphasis in theater.”
Srouji is pursuing a double major in Theatre Education and Theatre Studies with a 指导重点. She is on track to graduate this December. Srouji正在做 大部分时间都在博天堂官方. Intent on graduating without any regrets, she dives headfirst 做她想做的事.
The can-do attitude that Srouji brought to UNC led her to everything from serving on boards to participating in student groups. 斯鲁吉所在的董事会之一是 Student Equity Advisory Board, established by UNC faculty during the Covid-19 pandemic to better represent and serve students of color.
Srouji also got involved with a student group dedicated to promoting diversity and equity on and off stage called Operation: Cheesecake. 在和他们一起工作时，她 helped develop the Guest Artist Series, where black professionals working in the theater industry would host presentations to provide current students' insight about their 职业生涯. Srouji points to this series as one of the things she’s most 骄傲 of from 她在博天堂官方的时光.
Srouji experienced another of her 骄傲est moments this summer, as she was the first UNC student to be selected as the Colorado Shakespeare Festival theater management 实习生. The 实习生ship, which is funded through UNC’s 艺术 Entrepreneurship Center, provides 实习生s with a stipend and housing while they help run the annual festival 博尔德.
"I'm really grateful that I get to be the first recipient,” said Srouji, “and being able to have this door open for my fellow 剧院 studies students.”
Experiencing everything that goes on behind the scenes to create a set, then run four different productions in a matter of weeks, has been eye-opening for Srouji.
“Luckily, I learned all the basics that I needed to know going into this 实习生ship in my Theatre Management course,” she said. “我能准确地指出我学到了什么，然后 how it was applied at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.”
The pride Srouji has in her connection to UNC and being a trailblazer for the Theatre 部门是明确无误的. The way she talks about the opportunities and experiences she has been fortunate to have could make even those with no connection to UNC feel 骄傲.
“It’s huge that UNC is making connections with theaters across Colorado to give our students the best experience,” she laughs, “I say that like I'm not a student, but 这是真的.”
From start to finish, the entire experience has been something that Srouji has enjoyed. From seeing what it takes to help secure housing for employees to ensuring guests have a positive experience, it has been a summer she will never forget.
UNC is deeply committed to meeting students’ financial needs. 在2021- 2022年，98%的UNC 本科生 received some type of grant or scholarship aid 这笔钱不需要偿还.
Srouji received the following donor-funded scholarships and UNC institutional scholarships 或其他联邦、州或助学金.
博天堂官方捐赠奖学金:
· Becky Gilbert Little Theater of the Rockies
· David and Dawn Grapes School of Theatre 艺术 & 舞蹈导演奖
· Tennessen Family Performing and Visual 艺术 Scholarship
其他机构资助或援助:
·unc d.I.R.E.C.T奖学金
· Performing and Visual 艺术 Scholarship - Theatre
· Performing and Visual 艺术 – Talent 奖
·北方视觉奖
